FDA clears Natural Cycles birth control to use a smart ring for temperature measurements

Link will be apear in 15 seconds.

Well done! you have successfully gained access to Decrypted Link.

Natural Cycles digital birth control can now use temperature data from devices such as the Oura smart rings to predict when someone might become pregnant. Today, the company announced that it received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for users to take their temperature via a device equipped with a temperature sensor rather than manually using a thermometer.

Natural Cycles has been officially signed off as the world's first wearable contraceptive, the company stated in a statement. This feature is currently only available through a private beta program.

Natural Cycles prevents pregnancy by using an algorithm that tracks period cycle tracking and daily temperature measurements to provide information about days when it is least likely they will get pregnant. In 2018, the FDA approved the app as birth control. This was a controversial decision. Clue also approved the second birth control app in March.

The person's resting temperature rises during ovulation. Keeping track of that temperature can help determine if they are more likely to get pregnant. To use Natural Cycles for birth control, people used a thermometer each day to measure their body temperature. They will now be able wear an Oura ring over the night and have their temperature information sent to the app every morning.

Natural Cycles conducted a study on 40 women to test the Oura ring, according to the filing to FDA. The women in the study were both experienced Natural Cycles users, who both wore the Oura ring and manually measured their temperatures each day. The analysis covered 155 menstrual cycles. According to the filing, the algorithm could accurately predict ovulation using either temperature or a combination of both. The ring provided an average of 1.6 extra "not fertile” days per cycle.

Elina Berglund is the co-founder and CEO at Natural Cycles. She told The Verge last autumn that Natural Cycles was interested in wearables to make it easier to gather temperature information. She said that some users have difficulty remembering to take their temperature each morning.

A wearable that monitors temperature automatically would make it easier and more accurate. It would do this continuously, as the person sleeps, according to Rebecca Simmons, a University of Utah researcher and fertility awareness specialist. Despite the inclusion of the study in the filing, research is still limited. She stated that there is still much to be done before we feel confident in our ability to predict our fertility.

Natural Cycles has now established a hardware team. The company announced this in a statement. It is currently evaluating other wearables, and has plans to create its own device.