Enlarge (credit: Natural Cycles)
Most women of a fertile age are probably aware that counting days in between periods as a family planning method is unreliable at best. The statistics show that as many as 24 out of 100 women who use this kind of birth control get pregnant within a year.
However, one fertility awareness-based method (that's what the healthcare world calls it) claims it can deliver better results than that. Swedish startup Natural Cycles has, according to its own data, taken about 4 percent share in its local contraception market with a solution that consists of an app and a simple oral thermometer. The startup was recently approved as a contraception method by a German testing organisation that certifies products for the UK's department of health. Natural Cycles is hoping to reach the British market this year.
Since it was founded back in 2013, Natural Cycles has raised $7.5 million (£6 million) in funding, with the bulk of that ($6 million) being raised last summer. Currently, most of its 135,000 users are in Sweden. The app, which is available for Android and iOS, has no free tier but a month-long trial, after which the user has to pay either £60 per year or £7 per month. In 2016, the company claimed to have recorded $2 million in revenue. It is yet to turn a profit.