Natural Cycles app blamed for 37 unwanted pregnancies in one hospital

The Natural Cycles app, which uses an algorithm to determine whether a woman is fertile or not, is being blamed for 37 unwanted pregnancies in one Swedish hospital.

Natural Cycles is currently the only certified form of contraception in the EU which relies on an algorithm and external factors such as body temperature.

It currently has 700,000 users worldwide and costs £4.20 a month to use as a subscription.

The Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm has reported the app to the Medical Product Agency.

In response to this, Natural Cycles responded with a statement: "No contraception is 100 per cent effective, and unwanted pregnancies is an unfortunate risk with any contraception. Natural Cycles has a Pearl Index of 7, which means it is 93 per cent effective at typical use, which we also communicate.

"At first sight, the numbers mentioned in the media are not surprising given the popularity of the app and in line with our efficacy rates.

"As our user base increases, so will the amount of unintended pregnancies coming from Natural Cycles app users, which is an inevitable reality.”

Some people however, are backing the company, as the app states its 93 per cent effective for the first few months and warns users to use other forms of contraception while it figures out a unique algorithm for them.

Plus, it recommends people with irregular periods not to use the product.

To compare with other popular forms of contraception. When condoms are used correctly every time, they have a 98 per cent theoretical effectiveness. However, when used wrong the rate is as low as 82 per cent worldwide.

The contraceptive pill, the most common hormonal form of contraception has a 99 per cent theoretical effectiveness when in perfect use. But typical use results to 91 per cent effectiveness in the UK.