Natural Cycles: What You Need to Know About Using an App for Birth Control
Like many women, my experience on hormonal birth control was somewhat of a roller coaster. I was on the pill for about a year and experienced side effects such as anxiety, depression and intense mood swings. It was not a sustainable choice for me. In the midst of my search for a hormone-free solution, I eventually came to find Natural Cycles and have been using the system for about 2 1/2 years.
If you’re not familiar, Natural Cycles is the first and only app to be cleared by the US FDA for the use of birth control. When I previously shared about using Natural Cycles, I had a LOT of interest from people who wanted to more details. I know there are many of us have had a rough go of it with hormonal birth control and have been hoping for a better way, so I thought I’d share a few things that I think are important to know if you’re considering as switch to Natural Cycles…
Who is a good candidate for Natural cycles?
In my opinion, Natural Cycles is a good fit for someone who does eventually want children, but wants to be off of hormone contraception for a while before trying to conceive.
A good candidate for Natural Cycles is someone who has a fairly consistent schedule when it comes to their morning routine. Because the app bases its data off of changes in your body’s basal temperature, it’s important that you take your temperature within a 4 hour window each morning.
Who is NOT a good candidate for Natural Cycles?
While Natural Cycles is a great option for many women, it may not be a good fit for everyone. For example, if you are someone who under no circumstance would choose to keep a pregnancy if it were to occur, you’re probably better off using an IUD type of birth control, rather than Natural Cycles. I don’t mean that to sound judgy or uptight, but I honestly think that’s a realistic reason to not use Natural Cycles since there is no hormonal or impeding element!
If you work in shifts where sometimes you wake up at 4 am and other days you sleep until 10 am, Natural Cycles may not be a good fit for you. Distinct changes in your body temperature can impact your reading, or at the very least give you a higher amount of “red days”.
Additionally, your temperature can also be impacted by drinking excessive alcohol. With that being said, if you are someone who often finds themselves hungover on a regular basis, Natural Cycles may not be for you. That’s not to say that you can’t drink while using Natural Cycles! But if you wake up and still feel the impact of a night out, you need to mark your temperature as “deviating”. Again, no judgement—but I think it’s important to be up front about who is and isn’t a good candidate!
How effective is Natural Cycles?
When used perfectly, Natural Cycles is 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. However, most people will not use the system absolutely perfect, whether that means a less consistent measuring pattern or varying sleep schedules. However, on average with typical use, Natural Cycles is 93% effective.
To put it in perspective, the pill is 99% effective with perfect use and 91% effective with typical use.
You need to be be consistent in measurinG
At first, it’s a little difficult to remember to take your temperature first thing in the morning! You will receive a lot of “red days” for your first few cycles until the app’s algorithm gets to know you, but if you’re consistent it will catch on so that most days are green, besides your fertile window! I’ve found it’s easy to remember if I put my thermometer on top of my phone, so when my alarm goes off it’s the first thing I do.
Can you use Natural Cycles if you have an irregular cycle?
Here’s what the Natural Cycles website has to say about irregular cycles or conditions that impact them:
“If you have an irregular cycle (fewer than 21 days or greater than 35 days in length), you can still use Natural Cycles as the intelligent app adapts to your unique cycle. The same goes if you have a condition which can cause temperature fluctuations e.g. for example thyroid conditions or polycystic ovary syndrome. It’s worth keeping in mind that if you are affected by these conditions, the variation in temperature and cycle length might mean that you get more red days – the app does not become any less effective. Natural Cycles is a handy tool for keeping track of irregularities in your cycle.”
I am so grateful that I found Natural Cycles over 2 years ago and was able to find a holistic, non-hormonal solution to birth control! Natural Cycles has helped me understand my cycle better & be in tune with the rhythms of my body.
Do you have any more questions about Natural Cycles? Let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
