Natural Cycles contraceptive app faces criticism following reports of 37 unwanted pregnancies

[Polycount]

Contraceptives are never a sure thing as the medical community has noted over the years. However, one contraceptive app in particular -- Natural Cycles -- has attracted a bit of controversy after its use reportedly resulted in 37 women unintentionally becoming pregnant.

The news comes from Swedish hospital Södersjukhuset which obtained the information via a study performed on 668 women - all of whom came to the hospital seeking abortions. The hospital claims they had a "duty to report all side effects, such as pregnancies, to the Medical Products Agency."

For the unaware, Natural Cycles allows women to more easily track their menstrual cycles. The app takes into account the user's body temperature to determine when it will be safe to have intercourse without other forms of contraception such as condoms or birth control pills. "Safe days" are marked in green while days that the app deems unsafe are marked in red. As of writing, the app is currently used by over 500,000 women globally.

While it may seem risky to rely on an app alone for contraception, it's not blind trust that has led to its widespread adoption. Not only has Natural Cycles proven to be an effective form of contraception in the company's own studies, German regulatory body Tuv Sud has also deemed it an official form of contraception according to Engadget.

That said, with so many women using Natural Cycles globally, it seems inevitable that a few might slip through the cracks. Natural Cycles concurs, stating that "No contraception is 100 percent and unwanted pregnancies [are] an unfortunate risk with any contraception." The company later issued a second statement, noting that their app has a "Pearl Index of 7, which means it is 93 percent effective at typical use."

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https://www.techspot.com/news/72766-natural-cycles-contraceptive-app-faces-criticism-following-reports.html

 

[Squid Surprise]

My father, who has been a practicing MD for decades, always tells stories of people using contraceptives.... One of my favourites was a couple who came to the doctor complaining that they had followed the instructions on the contraceptives perfectly - the husband had taken every pill exactly when he should!! Oops....

Another one was the woman who took the pills only on the days she actually had sex.... contraceptives aren't foolproof even at the best of times - but generally, the fault is in the user... Anyone who relies SOLELY on an app, no matter what its % is, would go under the category of "fool" in my books...

93% sounds pretty good.... but if you have sex several dozen times.... your odds aren't looking so good any more... in fact, once you hit about 20 or so, your odds of NOT becoming pregnant would be extremely small... Remember, 93% means about 1 in 15 doesn't work....

 

[Kibaruk]

I mean... come one even those who had a CoperT still got pregnant, it's not 100% failsafe, although a much natural way to control it which is not bad.

 

[Kenrick]

These people are crazy and irresponsible. They should not have offsprings. The calendar method is not a proper way to prevent pregnancy but to help those who have trouble getting pregnant. This is to predict the ovulation period by getting your menstrual period for at least 6 months. We were using a similar app like this during the nokia symbian era. What kind of generation we have today?

 

[thelatestmodel]

There is no such thing as a "contraceptive app", Techspot. This just tracks menstrual cycles and does not provide any actual "contraception".

 

[enemys]

My father, who has been a practicing MD for decades, always tells stories of people using contraceptives.... One of my favourites was a couple who came to the doctor complaining that they had followed the instructions on the contraceptives perfectly - the husband had taken every pill exactly when he should!! Oops....

Another one was the woman who took the pills only on the days she actually had sex.... contraceptives aren't foolproof even at the best of times - but generally, the fault is in the user... Anyone who relies SOLELY on an app, no matter what its % is, would go under the category of "fool" in my books...

93% sounds pretty good.... but if you have sex several dozen times.... your odds aren't looking so good any more... in fact, once you hit about 20 or so, your odds of NOT becoming pregnant would be extremely small... Remember, 93% means about 1 in 15 doesn't work....

Pearl Index 7 doesn't mean "93% of intercourses won't end up in pregnancy", it's something like (but not exactly) "93% of women using this method for a year didn't get pregnant", so your calculation is just plain wrong.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Pearl Index 7 doesn't mean "93% of intercourses won't end up in pregnancy", it's something like (but not exactly) "93% of women using this method for a year didn't get pregnant", so your calculation is just plain wrong.

I wasn't making a calculation.... I was just providing an example of why not to use any app to prevent contraception, no matter the % of effectiveness...

If you were pregnant, and the doctor said there was a 5% chance of your baby being born with a serious birth defect, that would be considered high risk.... To then think that something that is 93% effective (meaning 7% NOT effective) is fine to gamble starting a family on.... that's just insanity....

 

[captaincranky]

Well first, I think you should have saved this article for April Fool's Day.

Second, "the rhythm method" was, (and possibly still is), the only method of birth control approved by the Roman Catholic Church. As a matter of fact, we used to refer to it as, "Vatican Roulette"...

So now, "there's an app for that", and millennials, dreamers, and imbeciles of all ages think because there's "smart phone app" involved, the process is supposed to be infallible?

I think the Ancient Egyptians must have invented papyrus for just this reason:

Oh well guys, at least now you know, if you're in bed with some bimbo who's playing with her smart phone, she's likely not setting up her "next appointment", she's trying to figure out if she'll get knocked up from this one. (y)

Of course that doesn't negate the fact that this > (y) < might turn into this > (n) < during the process. (But then, one could argue that form of birth control is better than none). The trouble is, "putting on your pants and getting the hell out of there", is usually reserved as a post coitus tactic. Then too, even if she paid you for the encounter, should you become rich later, she'll be back 20 years later, suing you for "sexual harassment". (*)
Oh well, at least "the app" works sometimes. Otherwise, we'd have an entire next generation so stupid, and so inbred, they'd be still be wearing diapers and staring into an "iFisher-Price" toy cell phone, until they were nearing the age of 30.

I'll let the Jefferson Airplane explain the aging process to you. It starts like this; "Lather was 30 years old today, they took away all of his toys".

Disclaimer: Is this off topic> Most likely. Does it attach to growing up late in life?Absolutely. I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.(y)

BTW, did you know tha Hoda Kotb now has Matt Lauer's job?

 

[Godel]

Of course the rhythm method relies on avoiding sex when the woman's libido is highest and she most wants to do it, and having sex when she doesn't feel like it or is menstruating.

That sure sounds like a recipe for a happy marriage.

 

[captaincranky]

Of course the rhythm method relies on avoiding sex when the woman's libido is highest and she most wants to do it, and having sex when she doesn't feel like it or is menstruating....[ ]....

Not only that, but when she's ovulating, she's also at her most attractive, (for a start, the water weight build up from her menses is long gone), not to mention she's never smelled better, (actually her feminine pheromones are off the charts), and most guys will bang damned near anything even remotely resembling a human female. If that's not a recipe for "unwanted special needs children, I haven't a clue what would be..

 

[Tanstar]

Not Catholic, but I believe they changed their stance on that a few years back. As in the Pope announced the change in policy. Generations raised to believe contraceptives are immoral might not swing to it's use that quickly though.

 

[captaincranky]

Not Catholic, but I believe they changed their stance on that a few years back. As in the Pope announced the change in policy. Generations raised to believe contraceptives are immoral might not swing to it's use that quickly though.

And the generation you're talking about, is likely past breeding age anyway. So then, even if that were true, the pope isn't the "embodiment of god". to whom they now pray. "God" is now the smart phone, and you have some greedy and lecherous utter jacka**es, writing "apps", based on a method of birth control which has been proven unreliable over the ages.

Then the mutts are amazed when they get knocked up, because after, their phone couldn't be wrong about such an important matter, now could it?

Why not "confess" you're stupidity, re-learn to use a paper calendar, and go have an abortion.
The world would be a better place not being overrun with, "Satan's spawn of stupidity"!