health

Are you ready to ditch hormonal birth control, but aren’t ready for kids? Are you TTC and want to find your fertile window? Did you have a baby (congrats!) and want to nourish yourself postpartum? Maybe you just want more insights into your reproductive health. Natural Cycles can help with all of these stages. I’ve been using Natural Cycles for almost 6 years (that’s 71 cycles and counting!). Here are 5 reasons why you’ll love Natural Cycles as much as I do!

*This article should not be construed as medical advice, and cannot replace the guidance of your qualified health professional. I may earn commissions from links on this page. The income goes to running this site, and all opinions are my own.* 

1. Natural Cycles is Non-Hormonal Birth Control 

Making the switch from traditional hormonal birth control to non-normal birth control with Natural Cycles was one of the biggest steps I’ve taken for my health. Six years later and 71 cycles in, I’ve never looked back. I only wish I’d ditched hormonal birth control sooner! That’s why reason number one you’ll love Natural Cycles is that it’s a completely hormone-free birth control method. And it’s the only app of its kind cleared by the FDA as birth control, plus it’s CE-marked in Europe and listed in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. 

Non-Hormonal Birth Control is a More Natural Way to Prevent Pregnancy

In my early 20s, I didn’t know much about the menstrual cycle, Basal Body Temperature (BBT), or even that you can’t get pregnant every day of your cycle. I was just too scared of getting pregnant before I was ready. I started hormonal birth control.

I started to question using hormonal birth control after developing a benign cyst in my breast. It went way, but I couldn’t help thinking that my birth control was playing with my hormones. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of valid reasons for using hormonal therapies. However, I wonder if we’re a bit too quick to reach for hormonal birth control.

Indeed, hormonal birth control is linked to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks, and stroke. It also slightly increases risk of breast and cervical cancer while taking the pill. Years later, I learned hormonal contraceptives could even be a trigger for developing Hashimoto’s! Everything in life comes with tradeoffs, and birth control is no exception. Yet, Natural Cycles non-hormonal birth control is as effective as the pill, without messing with your hormones. To me, that’s having your cake and eating it, too.

Use my code MERRITT15 for 15% off an annual plan, plus a free thermometer! 

Hormonal Birth Control for Other Reproductive Issues

Some people take hormonal birth control for the management of heavy bleeding, fibroids, endometriosis, or other reproductive issues. In my opinion, there’s a risk here of just masking the issue by treating symptoms downstream. Women’s reproductive health issues remain complex and understudied. Well-meaning doctors offer the only methods they know: medication and surgery. Long-term use of hormonal birth control can lead to estrogen dominance, which can actually exacerbate the initial issue being treated. If this sounds like you, I would encourage you to do some digging and see if Estrogen dominance is a root cause for you. Some resources include: 

Overcoming  Estrogen Dominance by Magdalena Wszelaki, CH, HHC

Hashimoto’s Protocol by Izabella Wentz, PharmD, FASCP

2. Natural Cycles is as Effective as the Pill*

You see the asterisk there? It just means that it’s as effective under normal use. Let me explain.

Effectiveness is Based on “Typical” Use

Effectiveness is talked about in terms of “typical use” and “perfect use.” Natural Cycles stats that “typical use includes all unintended pregnancies and reflects the way a method is used in everyday life.” Whereas perfect use only includes pregnancies caused by a failure of the app, when a user is using it perfectly. Natural Cycles is 93% effective with typical use, and 98% effective with perfect use. By comparison, the contraceptive pill is 93% effective with typical use, and >99% effective with perfect use. To compare more birth control methods like condoms and IUDs, check out this Natural Cycles blog post.

Use my code MERRITT15 for 15% off an annual plan, plus a free thermometer! 

To Prevent Pregnancy, Pay Attention to the App

In order for Natural Cycles to be used as effective birth control and prevent pregnancy, you must pay attention to the app. The app will label the fertile days of your cycle as “red” days. These are days you could potentially get pregnant. To avoid pregnancy, abstain from sex or use protection on red days.

3. Natural Cycles Makes Tracking Fertility Easy

One of the reasons I LOVE Natural Cycles is that is syncs seamlessly with my Oura Ring. Say goodbye to remembering to take birth control pills at the same time each day, or manually taking your Basal Body Temperature in the morning when you wake up. Natural Cycles simplifies your cycle data to make tracking fertility easy.

Natural Cycles is a Convenient Place to Get All Your Cycle Data

Forget about multiple period tracking apps and health apps. Natural Cycles calculates all your cycle data for you, right in the app. This is invaluable whether you’re trying to find your most fertile days to conceive, or trying to avoid pregnancy. Plus, some period trackers may share your information. Natural Cycles provides advanced data privacy protection so your data stays safe, and yours.

Natural Cycles Integrates with Your Health Apps

Sync your Oura Ring, your Apple Watch, or use a thermometer for a more old-school approach. You have options! I use the Oura Ring integration, so the app takes my temperature while I’m sleeping. When I wake up, I open the app, and see if the day is “red” or “green.” It doesn’t get easier than that!

If you prefer to take your temperature manually, or your don’t have an Apple Watch or Oura Ring, just keep your Natural Cycles thermometer by your bedside, and measure first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed.

Use my code MERRITT15 for 15% off an annual plan, plus a free thermometer! 

4. Cycle Insights: Period, Ovulation, & More

Natural Cycles is a Convenient Place to Get All Your Cycle Data

Forget about multiple period tracking apps and health apps. Natural Cycles calculates all your cycle data for you, right in the app. This is invaluable whether you’re trying to find your most fertile days to conceive, or trying to avoid pregnancy. It provides greater accuracy than pure calendar-based methods when trying to identify your fertile window, because it uses your temperature to identify your individual ovulation day, which can vary from person to person and month to month.

The Natural Cycles app also predicts your period start date based on your temperature and cycle data, and projects this out for several months, too, which is super convenient when planning (schedule that beach vacation over ovulation day, not your period!). 

Having cycle data over multiple cycles can also help you identify any potential issues to talk about with your doctor. In the app, find your luteal phase length, follicular phase length, and temperature variations for each. You’ll also see a calendar with your projected red days, green days, and period days. Log your symptoms throughout the month for an even more complete view, and Natural Cycles will prompt you that you may experience your typical symptoms when it’s that time of your cycle.

5. All Stages: Birth Control, TTC, & Postpartum

The Natural Cycles app has several “modes” to tailor your experience: Birth Control, Plan Pregnancy, Follow Pregnancy, and Postpartum. This makes it a great tool for all of life’s stages.

Prevent Pregnancy with Natural Cycles Birth Control

Natural Cycles provides greater accuracy than pure calendar-based methods when trying to identify your fertile window, because it uses your temperature to identify your individual ovulation day, which can vary from person to person and month to month. This data is used in the Birth Control mode to prevent pregnancy, by abstaining from sex on your fertile days, or using protection.

Use Natural Cycles When TTC

When trying to conceive, Natural Cycles can help increase your chances of conception by helping pinpoint your most fertile days for each cycle. This helps you time sex for the highest chances of getting pregnant. Research shows that couples using Natural Cycles get pregnant in and average of 3 cycles.

Following Pregnancy with NC

Once you’re pregnant, Natural Cycles can monitor your pregnancy, providing useful information about the development of your baby and how your body’s changing. You can track baby’s movements, morning sickness, and your emotions in the app. Natural Cycles will even predict your due date, since it uses your actual ovulation/conception day from the app data!

Postpartum Support

NC Postpartum can be used if you recently gave birth and would like some support during your recovery. This mode guides you through the recovery from childbirth with resources tailored to you. It can help identify once you ovulate again after giving birth. 

Whether you’re TTC, pregnant, postpartum, or looking for a better way to track your cycles, Natural Cycles can help. If you’re ready to switch to Natural Cycles, use code MERRITT15 for 15% off an annual plan plus a free thermometer!

Dive in!