Healthcare Professionals Clearblue® & Natural Cycles° Birth Control Kit

Clearblue® & Natural Cycles° Birth Control Kit

Hormone-free birth control

Natural Cycles° is 93% effective with typical use.1

Clearblue® and Natural Cycles° have partnered to create a hormone-free birth control convenience kit. This kit includes:

  • 3-month subscription to Natural Cycles° app 
  • 15 Digital Ovulation Tests with instructions for use
  • 1 Digital Basal Thermometer with instructions for use

Fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs)

Fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) are a type of practice used to either prevent or achieve pregnancy. These are based on the observation, identification, and recording of signs and symptoms like menstrual dates, Basal Body Temperature (BBT), cervical mucus, cervical position, and urinary hormone metabolites.2,3

There are only a few days in each cycle when a woman is fertile and can conceive. Evidence shows that this time of increased fertility usually spans 6 days, starting approximately 5 days prior to ovulation and ending on the day of ovulation itself.4 The 6-day fertile period is affected by:

  1. The lifespan of the egg, which is up to 24 hours after ovulation
  2. The lifespan of sperm which is more variable. The median is 1.5 days, but sperm can survive up to 5 days in the sperm supportive mucus found in the fertile days of the cycle. Sperm survival is therefore dependent on the type and quantity of the mucus within the cervix, and the quality of the sperm itself.

FABMs use the signs and symptoms that occur as a result of the different hormonal changes and phases of the menstrual cycle to identify the fertile window.3 When used for contraception, the identification of the fertile window allows the couple to modify their sexual behavior by either using additional contraceptive methods such as condoms, or by abstaining from having sexual intercourse, to avoid pregnancy.3,5 It’s important that she follows the specific guidance of the method used, in order to achieve effectiveness.

Given the rising worldwide popularity of FABMs and the increasing use of mobile applications to monitor the menstrual cycle, it is more important than ever for healthcare professionals to be aware of reliable FABMs and feel confident discussing the latest data with their patients.6 Despite this, studies have consistently shown that the majority of medical professionals receive no formal training in FABMs.7,8,9  While a study of healthcare professionals (n=79) in 2023, revealed that only 42% of participants include FABMs in their contraceptive counselling.10 
A 2022 study objectively evaluated medical school reproductive health curricula by counting the number of mentions of approximately 70 terms documented in official course content.11 Of the more than 9,000 mentions, FABMs were mentioned less than 4% of the time, and fewer than one-third of schools specifically mentioned modern, evidence-based methods.11
Improving healthcare professional’s knowledge in FABMs has been shown to increase their confidence and willingness to offer these methods to patients for family planning and management of common women’s health conditions.12

Birth Control

Birth control, also known as contraception, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancies.13 Its effectiveness is calculated using the Pearl Index (PI). PI is defined as the number of pregnancies that would happen for the contraceptive method per 100 women over a year.14

Every birth control method has two measures of PI: 

  • Typical Use: this includes all unintended pregnancies, including those that occur whilst a method is used incorrectly or inconsistently (not according to the instructions) as well as pregnancies that occur while the method is used as intended
  • Perfect Use: this includes the pregnancy outcomes of people who use the contraceptive method as directed

The following infographic illustrates the effectiveness of multiple contraceptive methods as reported in scientific literature.15

Figure 1 compares the Typical Use and Perfect Use effectiveness for a range of different contraceptive methods.

When choosing the most suitable method of contraception, it’s important for a woman to note that no form of contraception is 100% effective.

40-60% of surveyed women, of varying geographical, religious, socioeconomic and educational levels, reported that they were interested in learning more from their physicians about non-hormonal, non-barrier, and non-surgical methods of birth control.16-19

Clearblue® & Natural Cycles° Birth Control Kit

The Natural Cycles° app

Find out more about the Natural Cycles app here.

Natural Cycles° created the first and only FDA Cleared birth control app available. Natural Cycles° FDA clearance is based on a study of over 15,000 women. 

The Natural Cycles app is 93% effective with typical use.1

The Natural Cycles app is powered by an algorithm that adapts to the individual, pinpointing and confirming her specific ovulation. The algorithm utilizes her Basal Body Temperature (BBT), menstruation data and optional ovulation test results, to establish where she is in her menstrual cycle and calculate her daily fertility status.
This means Natural Cycles° works with irregular cycles or conditions, such as PCOS, allowing her to gather data to present when discussing potential health concerns with her healthcare professional.

Figure 2 illustrates a graph view of her menstrual cycle. The Green Days represent her non-fertile days and Red Days her fertile window, during which she should abstain from intercourse or use another method of contraception to avoid pregnancy

Clearblue® Digital Ovulation Test

Find out more about the Clearblue® Digital Ovulation Test here.

The Clearblue® Digital Ovulation Test is provided in the Birth Control Kit and separately in the Digital Ovulation Refill Pack. It is over 99% accurate at detecting the LH surge. It is easy to use and provides clear digital results. 

The Clearblue® Digital Ovulation Test is:

  • Accurate - over 99% accurate in detecting the LH surge in urine20 to identify her 2 most fertile days
  • Adaptive - adapts to a woman's own LH surge threshold
  • Simple to use - easy read digital results
  • Recommended - Clearblue® is the #1 OBGYN recommended ovulation brand21

How the Clearblue® & Natural Cycles° Birth Control Kit works

  1. She uses the digital BBT thermometer to measure her temperature as soon as she wakes up and adds the reading to the NC° app

  2. On the days she uses a Clearblue® Digital Ovulation Test she adds the result into the NC° app

    A flat line indicates the LH surge has not been detected (‘Negative’)

    A line with a ‘surge’ indicates the LH surge has been detected (‘Positive’).

  3. The algorithm behind the NC° app analyzes the data to identify her daily fertility status: Green Day (‘Not fertile’) or Red Day (‘Use protection’).

While it is not mandatory to use an ovulation test, Natural Cycles’ Instructions for Use explain how they can help to increase the accuracy of detecting ovulation and can, therefore, increase the number of Green Days she will see if she is preventing a pregnancy. 

Advantages of the Natural Cycles app 

  • First and only FDA Cleared birth control app available 
  • Non-invasive, hormone-free birth control
  • 93% effective with typical use and 98% effective with perfect use1
  • Can use the NCo app in ‘Go Anonymous’ mode. Click here to find out more 
  • Unique algorithm powered by clinical studies and real-life user data
  • Effectiveness as a contraceptive is not affected by irregular cycles
  • The use of ovulation tests may result in more Green Days     
  • Suitable for women 18 years and over
  • Covered by most insurance companies. Click here to find out more

Advantages of Clearblue® Digital Ovulation Test 

  • Over 99% accurate at detecting the LH surge20
  • Clearblue® is the #1 ovulation brand recommended by OB-GYNs21

Limitations of the Natural Cycles app

  • There are no known contraindications for use of NC°, however: 
    • She must be 18 years of age or above
    • She must be willing to use protection, or abstain, on Red Days
    • This method of birth control does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
    • No method of birth control is 100% effective

Limitations of Clearblue® Digital Ovulation Test 

  • Users should always read the manufacturer’s instructions for any medication they are taking before conducting a test
  • Certain medical conditions and medications can adversely affect the performance of the test, e.g. pregnancy, a recent pregnancy, the menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or impaired liver or kidney function, may produce misleading results. Fertility drugs containing luteinizing hormone (LH) or human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), or antibiotics containing tetracyclines can also interfere with testing. However, clomiphene citrate does not affect the test.
  1. Typical use includes all reasons for an unintended pregnancy including having unprotected sex or using withdrawal on a Red Day. Perfect use only includes pregnancies while using the product as intended, such as a condom breaking on a Red Day. The app can also assign a “false” Green Day - this method failure rate is monitored closely in clinical studies, and the research shows it to be 0.5%.
  2. Brewer, M., & Stevens, L. (2021). Use of fertility awareness-based methods of contraception: Evidence from the National Survey of Family Growth, 2013–2017. Contraception, 104(2), 183–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2021.03.014
  3. Simmons, R. G., & Jennings, V. (2020). Fertility awareness-based methods of family planning. In Best Practice and Research: Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Vol. 66, pp. 68–82). Bailliere Tindall Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2019.12.003
  4. Wilcox AJ, Weinberg CR, Baird DD. Timing of sexual intercourse in relation to ovulation. Effects on the probability of conception, survival of the pregnancy, and sex of the baby. N Engl J Med 1995 Dec 7;333(23):1517-21.
  5. Duane, M., Stanford, J. B., Porucznik, C. A., & Vigil, P. (2022). Fertility Awareness-Based Methods for Women’s Health and Family Planning. In Frontiers in Medicine (Vol. 9). Frontiers Media S.A. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.858977
  6. Al-Rshoud F, Qudsi A, Naffa FW, Al Omari B, AlFalah AG. The Use and Efficacy of Mobile Fertility-tracking Applications as a Method of Contraception: a Survey. Curr Obstet Gynecol Rep. 2021;10(2):25-29. doi:10.1007/s13669-021-00305-4
  7. Fehring RJ. The future of professional education in natural family planning. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2004;33(1):34-43. 
  8. Beeman P. Natural family planning in education and practice: a narrative review of the literature. Linacre Q. 2010;77(4):399-414
  9. Webb S, Cheng A-L, Simmons R, Peragallo Urrutia R, Jennings V, Witt J. A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Health Care Providers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Around Fertility Awareness-Based Methods in Title X Clinics in the United States. Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2020;1(1):354-365. doi:10.1089/whr.2020.0065
  10. Davidson AV, Butler FM. Physician Dispositions Toward Noninvasive Non-Hormonal Contraception. Kans J Med. 2023;16:94-104. doi:10.17161/kjm.vol16.18958
  11. Duane M, Carson G, Vanderkolk K, Gordon AE, L. An evaluation of US medical schools’ reproductive health and family planning curricula. Issues Law Med. 2022;37(2):117-128.
  12. Duane M, Waechtler L, May M, Manda D, Gomez NF, Stujenske TM. Fertility Awareness-Based Methods for Family Planning and Women’s Health: Impact of an Online Elective. Fam Med. 2024;56(7):414-421. https://doi.org/10.22454/FamMed.2024.562177.
  13. Birth Control | Contraception | Contraceptives | MedlinePlus Accessed 28th August 2024
  14. Pearl Index - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics Accessed 28th August 2024
  15. Contraceptive Technology (Table 26 - 1). 21st Edition, 2018
  16. Leonard CJ, Chavira W, Coonrod DV, Hart KW, Bay RC. Survey of attitudes regarding natural family planning in an urban Hispanic population. Contraception. 2006;74(4):313-317.
  17. Stanford JB, Lemaire JC, Thurman PB. Women's interest in natural family planning. J Fam Pract. 1998;46(1):65-71.
  18. Stanford JB, Lemaire JC, Fox A. Interest in natural family planning among female family practice patients. Fam Pract Res J. 1994;14(3):237-249.
  19. Pallone SR, Bergus GR. Fertility awareness-based methods: another option for family planning [published correction appears in J Am Board Fam Med. 2009;22(5):596]. J Am Board Fam Med. 2009;22(2):147-157.
  20. SPD data on file. Clearblue® Digital Ovulation Test has been shown to be 99% accurate when compared to a reference method in laboratory studies using urine samples from 123 cycles where LH surge was identified by a reference method.
  21. Research into recommendation of ovulation tests and fertility monitors with 400 US OB-GYNs (Kantar Health, 2022)

Always read full instruction leaflet of product before use. This material is intended for healthcare professionals only. It is for general information only with no warranties, representations or undertakings, express or implied, and does not constitute medical advice. It may refer to products not yet registered or approved in a given country. Please ask your local pharmacist or SPD contact for products available in your country. Product images are for illustration only. Clearblue® is a trademark of SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH (“SPD”). © 2024 SPD (except for any third party content identified as such). All rights reserved.