Natural Cycles fertility tracking app approved for contraception

Fertility tracking app Natural Cycles has been approved by global testing and certification provider Tüv Süd for contraception in the UK.

Natural Cycles works by recording daily temperature and uses a smart algorithm to help women pinpoint their fertility.

After recording, the algorithm determines whether the women is fertile on that day and helps to prevent or plan a pregnancy.

Natural Cycles has been approved as a class IIb medical device intended to be used for contraception, giving women across Europe a new, clinically tested, regulatory approved contraception to use in addition to condoms, the Pill and IUDs.

Husband and wife team Dr Raoul Scherwitzl and Dr Elina Berglund created the app, which is a hormone-free and chemical-free birth control alternative.

Dr Elina Berglund said: "Women around the world are interested in exploring effective non-hormonal, non-invasive forms of contraception, and now they have a new, clinically verified and regulatory approved option to choose from.

"Our high-quality clinical studies, together with the required regulatory approvals, means we can provide women everywhere with a new option for contraception. Natural Cycles allow women to better understand their bodies so they can make choices that are right for them."

Approximately 3.5m women use hormonal contraception following the 2016 University of Copenhagen clinical study, which confirmed a link between hormonal contraceptives and depression.

The Natural Cycles app joins various other medical products such as intensive care monitoring and alarm devices, anaesthesia machines, blood pumps for heart-lung machines and blood bags that have been clinically tested and regulatory approved to achieve IIb classification.

Natural Cycles is used by more than 150,000 women in 161 countries.