Typical use effectiveness of Natural Cycles: postmarket surveillance study investigating the impact of previous contraceptive choice on the risk of unintended pregnancy

Bull, Jonathan; Rowland, Simon P.; Lundberg, O.; Berglund-Scherwitzl, Elina; Gemzell‐Danielsson, Kristina; Scherwitzl, Raoul

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026474

Cited by 16 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The Natural Cycles app is user dependent as it relies on frequent temperature data entry, engaging with the app for daily fertility status, and compliance with abstaining or using barrier protection on fertile days. The main reason for contraceptive failure of the Natural Cycles method is having unprotected sex on a fertile day (21). The majority of this UK cohort (58.3%) reported that they use condoms on fertile days and a further 9.3% abstain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Natural Cycles app: contraceptive outcomes and demographic analysis of UK users

Pearson¹,

Chelstowska²,

Rowland³

et al. 2021

The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health

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Objective: Digital fertility awareness-based contraception offers an alternative choice for women who do not wish to use hormonal methods or are unable to use hormones due to medical reasons. It is also popular among women who may be planning a pregnancy over the coming years and wish to educate themselves about their individual menstrual cycle and fertility. The aim of this study was to investigate the key demographics of current users of the Natural Cycles app and assess the effectiveness of the app at preventing pregnancy for a cohort of women from the United Kingdom.Setting: Users of the Natural Cycles mobile application.Participants: 12,247 women in the UK who used Natural Cycles as their primary method of contraception.Outcome Measures: Cohort demographics and risk of unintended pregnancy.Study Design: Observational prospective real-world cohort study.Results: Users contributed an average of 9.9 months of data for a total of 10,066 woman years of exposure. The mean age of the cohort was 30, mean BMI 23.4, the majority were in a stable relationship (83.2%) and had a university degree or higher (83%). The most common form of contraception used prior to natural cycles was combined oral contraceptive (COC)(39.3%). The one year typical use, PI was 6.1 (95% CI: 5.6, 6.6) and with perfect-use was 2.0 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.8). 13 cycle pregnancy probability was 7.1%. Age was found to be associated with contraceptive outcomes, those between 29-34 had a significantly higher pregnancy probability than those aged 34-45 (8.9% vs 5.0%; p=0.0005). In total 41.9% of users were still using the app at the end of the study. Conclusion:This is the first study which describes the use of a digital contraceptive by women in the UK. It describes the demographics of users and how they correlate with the apps effectiveness at preventing pregnancy. Its findings support previously published effectiveness rates for Natural Cycles in a number of countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Natural Cycles app: contraceptive outcomes and demographic analysis of UK users

Pearson¹,

Chelstowska²,

Rowland³

et al. 2021

The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies for 18 apps were rated low. Those studies were no RCTs or had some severe limitations [2,3,36,46,61,62,[67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]. These included studies on feasibility (n = 9), acceptability (n = 8), efficacy (n = 6), usability (n = 5), development (n = 4) and quality (validity) study (n = 1).…”

Section: Evaluation Of Srh Appsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile Apps for Sexual and Reproductive Health Education: a Systematic Review and Quality Assessment

Muehlmann

Tomczyk

2023

Curr Sex Health Rep

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Purpose of Review The aim of this study was to present the current state of research on mobile health apps for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education. Apps were analysed based on contents (by using the World Health Organization’s SRH framework), features, intended audiences and quality of evidence (by applying the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach). Taking German sexuality education apps as an example, the rapid development in the field of SRH apps over the last 3 years has been revealed by comparing the quality of apps available in 2019 with apps from 2022. Recent Findings SRH apps allow health information to be disseminated quickly, at low thresholds and in a practical and cost-effective manner. Moreover, they allow for anonymous usage independently of time and place. In the absence of network coverage, offline use is also possible. Previous research focused on individual SRH aspects (e.g. human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), contraception). However, some studies were designed to cover a broader range of SRH topics, but identified only a few relevant apps. Summary To improve SRH, it would be helpful if the apps would be of high-quality design and be made up of relevant content. Furthermore, they should be tailored to the target group and have been tested in real-life settings. A total of 50 SRH apps with sufficiently high-quality ratings were included. The apps cover a variety of SRH topics, but they often lack field-based evaluation. The effectiveness of SRH apps has not yet been sufficiently studied in a scientific manner. Only 9 apps were deemed to be adequate for a moderate GRADE level. Despite this grading, the study nevertheless shows that there are several apps that could potentially promote SRH.

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“…2018; Hough and Bryce 2019; Bull et al. 2019). CFTAs are also not reliably effective for users with absent or irregular menstrual cycles or cycle variation (Jennings et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there are important limitations-the cost of these apps can be high (over $100/year in the United States) and require access to a smartphone (Natural Cycles 2023). While the emerging evidence around their effectiveness is promising, peer-reviewed research studying CFTAs is relatively sparse compared to other established contraceptive methods (Peragallo et al 2018;Hough and Bryce 2019;Bull et al 2019). CF-TAs are also not reliably effective for users with absent or irregular menstrual cycles or cycle variation (Jennings et al 2019;Scherwitzl 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

There's an App for That: Exploring the Market for Contraceptive Fertility Tracking Apps in the Philippines

Danna,

Harris,

Rothschild

et al. 2024

Studies in Family Planning

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For generations, women have relied on fertility awareness methods to plan and prevent pregnancy, for over a decade, many have been aided by digital tools to do so. New contraceptive fertility tracking apps (CFTAs)—that are backed by clinical efficacy trials to support their effectiveness as contraception—have the potential to enhance method choice and offer users a unique contraceptive option, but there is little evidence to inform the decisions around expanding access, particularly in low‐and middle‐income countries. We conducted a mixed methods study with quantitative online surveys (n = 1600) and qualitative interviews (n = 36) to explore the potential appeal of and demand for a hypothetical CFTA in one such market, the Philippines. Interest in using a CFTA was high among our Internet‐engaged, urban study population, with 83.9% “definitely” or “probably” interested in using it. Across demographic profiles, respondents perceived the appeal of the method as “natural” and “convenient.” A majority were willing to pay for the method, though notably at a price (5.20 USD) below that of currently available CFTAs. We discuss various important factors to be considered before bringing a method like this to new markets, including the potential implications of equity constraints in reaching a wider market and the unexpected prevalence of other period‐tracking apps not intended as contraception being used in this market that could complicate any future roll‐out. These issues could be explored further with additional research.

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Typical use effectiveness of Natural Cycles: postmarket surveillance study investigating the impact of previous contraceptive choice on the risk of unintended pregnancy

Cited by 16 publications

References 9 publications

Natural Cycles app: contraceptive outcomes and demographic analysis of UK users

Natural Cycles app: contraceptive outcomes and demographic analysis of UK users

Mobile Apps for Sexual and Reproductive Health Education: a Systematic Review and Quality Assessment

There's an App for That: Exploring the Market for Contraceptive Fertility Tracking Apps in the Philippines

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