Birth control apps

Birth control apps, also known as digital birth control, are a new player in the landscape of contraceptive health. While monitoring fertility through period tracking is no new concept, advances in technology and the age of the smartphone have made this more user-friendly and accessible.

Different fertility trackers use different methods. For example, the Natural Cycles birth control app is powered by an algorithm that identifies fertility and allocates ‘green’ (non-fertile) days and ‘red’ (fertile days) accordingly.

How does a birth control app prevent pregnancy?

Smartphone skeptics may be wondering, how can digital birth control prevent pregnancy? In the end, it all comes down to a woman knowing her cycle. During the entire menstrual cycle, the fertile phase is actually only made up of six days. This includes the day of ovulation, and five days prior to this, as sperm can survive in the female reproductive system for up to five days.

A key indicator of fertility is basal body temperature. When using a temperature tracking fertility awareness method like Natural cycles, users must be committed to taking their temperature every day. This should be done with a basal body thermometer (showing two decimal points), first thing in the morning when resting body temperature is at its lowest. Temperature data is then added to the app.

This digital birth control app works by determining ovulation in each cycle and the smart algorithm will learn to predict and forecast fertility over time. Ovulation can be identified by a spike in body temperature, this is caused by a surge in progesterone hormone levels.