Wellbeing An App Too Far? How ‘Digital Contraception’ Entered The Mainstream Fertility awareness apps claim to have revolutionised birth control, but can we really trust an algorithm to protect us from unwanted pregnancy? By Natalie Cornish Wellbeing Fertility awareness apps claim to have revolutionised birth control, but can we really trust an algorithm to protect us from unwanted pregnancy? By Natalie Cornish Previous article The Glass Cliff: Why Women Are Being Set Up To Fail Next article Artfully Branded: Immersive Experiences Takeover New York Fashion Week Like most people, the first thing 32-year-old Jo Hellyer reaches for when she wakes up is her smartphone. Yet instead of checking her messages or emails, she opens a fertility awareness app and takes her Basal Body Temperature (BBT) to find out if she’s at risk of falling pregnant in the next 24 hours. Welcome to the world of “digital contraception”, a controversial new form of birth control.Menstrual trackers are nothing new. In fact, many health professionals encourage their patients to monitor their monthly cycles this way – especially if they’re hoping to conceive. What is different here is that Hellyer is one of a growing number of women relying solely on algorithms dreamed up by developers to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Scroll through the smartphones of half a million women worldwide and you’ll find they have one download in common: Natural Cycles, the only fertility awareness app to be certified as a contraceptive in Europe and now the US. contraceptionlookingforwardwomenshealth Best Of Future Women Money Is your takeaway coffee costing you 100k? By Jamila Rizvi Equity New interactive series highlights what determines women’s financial fate By FW Equity A sneak peek inside the sold-out budget event By Odessa Blain Equity Inside the shared joke between Gallagher and Wong By Odessa Blain Wellbeing How to escape the dopamine trap By Dr Anastasia Hronis Self Two ducks and a Chick walk into the wilderness By Odessa Blain Wellbeing How can you be ‘authentic’ at work? By Steph Tisdell Wellbeing Awww, you shouldn’t have. By FW Your inbox just got smarter If you’re not a member, sign up to our newsletter to get the best of Future Women in your inbox.
