A new study published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health examining contraception use among UK abortion seekers has sparked controversy over its interpretation by media outlets and led to a major initiative from Natural Cycles, the only period and ovulation tracking app currently regulated for contraceptive use in the UK.
The research, comparing data from British Pregnancy Advisory Service between 2018 and 2023, revealed that use of fertility awareness-based methods increased from 0.4% to 2.5% among abortion seekers, while hormonal contraception use decreased from 18.8% to 11.3%. However, the most significant finding – largely overlooked in media coverage – was that individuals reporting no contraception use increased from 55.8% to 69.6%.
Alice Pelton, Founder & CEO of The Lowdown, a women’s health and contraception review platform, criticized the media’s interpretation of the study in a post on LinkedIn: “The study (and its coverage) fails to explain that there is only one FDA/EU cleared digital contraceptive app (medical device) available in the UK market – Natural Cycles. All other fertility tracking apps shouldn’t be used as a method of contraception. This is at risk of spreading the misinformation that we’re trying to stop [with our work at The Lowdown] when it comes to contraception.”
In response to the study and subsequent coverage, Natural Cycles has now announced a comprehensive Reproductive UK Women’s Health Initiative. “As a company founded by scientists and composed primarily of women, we couldn’t simply read the BMJ paper or the resulting headlines and stay silent,” said Dr. Elina Berglund, co-founder of Natural Cycles and former CERN researcher. “It’s clear that more women in the UK are moving away from hormonal contraception, but what’s even clearer is the urgent need for education and resources to help them make informed decisions.”
The new initiative includes several key components:
- Collaboration with The Lowdown to provide balanced perspectives on contraceptive options
- An awareness campaign including full-page newspaper advertisements
- Formation of an expert committee including healthcare professionals and women’s health experts like Pelton & Dr Michelle Griffin
- Advocacy for improved healthcare policies, including NHS coverage
- New research on Natural Cycles’ effectiveness among UK users, to be released in 2025
The company is also taking immediate action by offering free access to their regulated app for UK women currently using unregulated methods or no contraception at all. This comes as a BPAS survey revealed that nearly half of UK women face significant barriers to accessing contraception, including long wait times for appointments.
Commenting on the recent developments Alice Pelton shared in an interview with Femtech Insider: “Many of our community at The Lowdown are immensely frustrated, as the coverage of the study has been paternalistic, infantalising and has failed to fully address the immense challenges women have in using and accessing contraception, thanks to the relentless lack of funding in this sector by the UK government and global pharmaceutical industry.”
She also noted that pharmaceutical companies only funnel 2% of their annual revenue from contraceptives back into research and development, while for other types of drugs that figure is around 10%. This means that innovation in developing new contraceptives has been woefully inadequate – and there have been very few changes to the methods or brands available.
“Then, to make this worse, the UK has closed 26% of its contraceptive services in the last 3 years, which means a whopping 1 in 3 women in the UK can’t get hold of contraception where they want to”, she says. “I’ve also been taken aback by how shocked many commentators are that women aren’t satisfied with options like the pill. At The Lowdown we’ve been banging on about this since 2019; nothing is new, we deserve better.”
Natural Cycles’ regulated app, which costs £69.99 annually or £9.99 monthly in the UK, is a non-hormonal, non-invasive alternative as it uses body temperature data to determine fertility status. It is certified as a contraceptive method in multiple countries. While it is covered by insurance in the US, it currently isn’t available through the NHS in the UK, a disparity the new initiative aims to address.
“I founded The Lowdown to create a platform for nuanced, informed discussions about contraception”, says Pelton. “My goal is to empower women with knowledge about their options – including the benefits and potential side effects – so they can make confident, informed decisions and find the solution that works best for them. Our content reaches over 10 million women a year, and our digital tools like our contraception recommender tool have been used by over 100,000 women worldwide to find their match.”
“I hope that the Reproductive UK Women’s Health Initiative can get right to the heart of the issues the study and its coverage have raised, and really help foster a more constructive conversation around contraceptive options, informing women and healthcare professionals how exactly digital contraceptives and FABM work. “
