New contraceptive app as effective as the Pill, says study

A study published in the journal Contraception found that a smart phone app, approved by the EU in February uses a woman’s temperature each day to track her cycle and predict which days are safe to have unprotected sex.

The findings for the app Natural Cycles found that it was 93 percent effective as compared to the Pill, which, if taken correctly, is thought to be 99 percent effective.

According to the creators, a trial involving 4,000 women found it as effective as the Pill in preventing unwanted pregnancies.

The app is the first to be approved specifically for contraception and received class IIb medical device status from a German inspection firm employed by the Department of Health to test the safety of new drugs and medical devices.

The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FSRH), sexual health charity FPA and Fertility UK acknowledge fertility apps have the potential to broaden contraception choice.

But they warned branding an app a medical device does not guarantee it will effectively prevent pregnancy.

While for some women taking the Pill is like second nature, without any unwanted sex effects, there are others where with the surge of hormones racing through their bloodstream, the Pill can play havoc with their bodies.

The app was the brainchild of husband and wife team Dr Elina Berglund and Dr Raoul Scherwitzl.