Swedish contraceptive app Natural Cycles blamed for string of unwanted pregnancies

The largest study of a natural birth control methods to date shows the Natural Cycles app is 99 per cent effective when used 'perfectly'
Francesca Gillett15 January 2018

A contraceptive mobile phone app used by tens of thousands of British women has come under fire after reportedly sparking a string of unwanted pregnancies.

Swedish birth control app Natural Cycles, which costs £40, tracks body temperature to accurately predict when in the month a woman is more likely to fall pregnant.

But the app has come under fire after the Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm lodged a complaint with the Swedish Medical Products Agency, the country’s government body responsible for regulation of medical devices.

It claimed staff at the hospital had recorded 37 women who had fallen pregnant in the last quarter of 2017 after using the app.

One midwife said the hospital had a duty to report all side effects.

The app grew in popularity in the UK this year, after a study of 22,785 women found 6.9 per cent became pregnant within a year.

The study, which was the largest-ever into its effectiveness, found it was 99 per cent effective under “perfect” use and 93 per cent effective under “typical” use - compared with 91 per cent for the pill.

Around 125,000 British women are thought to have used the app by 2017.

Natural Cycles told the Standard "no contraception is 100 per cent" and unwanted pregnancy is an unfortunate risk with any birth control.

In a statement a spokesman said: "Natural Cycles has a Pearl Index of 7, which means it is 93 per cent effective at typical use, which we also communicate.

"If you have a popular form of contraception such as Natural Cycles, then you also have to expect a certain amount of unwanted pregnancies from users using this method. Our studies have repeatedly shown that our app provides a high level of effectiveness similar to methods that require a daily routine."

He added: "We have not been involved in the study that SÖS is referring to so we cannot comment on specifics. However, we understand that it sounds alarming, but when Natural Cycles’ user base increases, naturally so will the amount of unwanted pregnancies coming from users using us, just as it would do with any kind of new contraception.

"We agree with what midwife Carina Montin says, 'perhaps young people should use another form of contraception'."

He added: "There is a big trend that women move away from hormonal contraception, and Natural Cycles can provide a helpful option for these women.

"We therefore expect in fact to overall decrease the unwanted pregnancy rates because we increase contraceptive choice.

"We don’t think it’s helpful to fuel the fear of contraception by scaring the public with abortion news - there is already a fear of hormones and if doctors or the general media add a fear of new types of certified contraception, which are clinically proven to be effective, there is really not much left to choose from.

"Our goal is to increase contraceptive choice so that all women find a suitable method of contraception."

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