Like many women, Dr. Elina Berglund found herself needing birth control. But, like an increasing proportion of birth control-seeking women, Elina didn’t want to go on the synthetic hormones found in popular options like the pill or the patch. She also didn’t want anything invasive like the implant, the vaginal ring, or an IUD. When she couldn’t find anything that suited her needs, she did what any resourceful scientist does: she hit the books, harnessing her training as a particle physicist to do a deep dive into the science of women’s reproductive physiology.
What Dr. Berglund found from her research was something users of fertility awareness methods (FAMs) have long been familiar with: a woman’s basal body temperature rises and falls in a predictable pattern over the course of her monthly cycles. From this research, Dr. Berglund eventually developed the proprietary algorithm that she says is now “the backbone of Natural Cycles.”
For the unfamiliar, Natural Cycles is the first cycle tracking app to gain FDA clearance for use as contraception/pregnancy prevention. In this Natural Womanhood exclusive video interview with Dr. Elina Berglund, the founder and CEO Natural Cycles, we learn more about what is drawing women to natural, non-hormonal, non-invasive methods of birth control. Dr. Berglund fills us in on….
How many women are using Natural Cycles, and why?
How effective is Natural Cycles, both with and without the use of barrier methods like condoms?
What makes Natural Cycles different from “the rhythm method” of yesteryear?
Can Natural Cycles work for women with irregular cycles? Can it work for women with PCOS?
Dr. Berglund also talks with Natural Womanhood about the future of Natural Cycles, from its potential to be used with wearable Femtech devices, to improving pregnancy outcomes, to demystifying the still poorly-understood transition to menopause.
It seems that Dr. Berglund has tapped into something we understand well at Natural Womanhood: natural methods of birth control like Natural Cycles, fertility awareness methods (FAMs), and methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) give women the knowledge of their bodies they’ve long been craving. “Really understanding what’s going on inside is empowering,” says Dr. Berglund. We couldn’t agree more!
Watch our full video interview with Dr. Elina Berglund, founder of the groundbreaking app Natural Cycles, below:
