As Effective as the Pill
Posted on: Tuesday, September 29th 2015
Written By: Holly Grigg-Spall
Advanced tech draws on 30 years of research to create a natural rival to hormonal contraceptives.
With evidence mounting of the adverse effects of the birth control pill and hormonal contraceptives, women are ditching the drugs in droves and searching for a natural alternative that can equal the pill in effectiveness and convenience. Where the pharmaceutical industry has let women down producing only variations on the same invasive model for pregnancy prevention, the technology sector has stepped in to lend a helping hand. A paradigm shift is underway, with more and more women rejecting the expectation that they must suffer through the gut health issues like IBS, nutritional deficiencies that lead to low immunity, and mental health problems associated with hormonal contraceptives in order to merely manage their fertility.
What used to be seen as throwback birth control has taken on a futuristic twist. The natural birth control method of cycle tracking was, in the past, viewed as both ineffective and unrealistically time-consuming for the majority of women and the typical lives they tend to lead. Fertility monitors that utilize a tried-and-tested algorithm-based system to learn, understand, and then interpret fertility signs are providing a third way that allows women a choice that has none of the drawbacks of drugs or manual cycle tracking with pen, paper or smartphone app alone. Essentially it's about women biohacking their cycles with the help of technology to make natural birth control a viable, easy option that works.
The latest advancement in this technology is Daysy, a fertility monitor grounded in the 30 years of research and analysis of 5 million menstrual cycles that made its predecessor Lady-Comp the most popular fertility management system on the market. Developed in Germany to the strict medical device testing guidelines of the European Union, Daysy has a clinically proven Pearl Index of 0.7% and is 99.3% effective. For women coming off hormonal contraceptives this device provides a much needed confidence boost for going drug-free with a simple color-coded feedback system to alert the user to the fertile and infertile days of their unique cycle.
Often with this transition from the socially-sanctified hormonal methods of contraception to a natural method, it can be the boyfriend or husband that needs the most convincing - fertility monitors relieve women of the burden of shouldering this responsibility alone. The demands manual cycle tracking can put on a woman with a hectic schedule, changeable sleep pattern, busy social life or small children can make natural birth control seem off-limits to many, keeping some on the pill much longer than wanted, and suffering all the side effects. The democratization of natural birth control methods is an important step in women's emancipation from unnecessary pharmaceuticals.
Meeting women where they're at currently with their needs, wants, and lifestyles means providing a realistic and real rival to the pull of the pill, which has stayed on shelves for some 50 years for many reasons, the strongest of which could be its convenience. For women to be empowered to lead the healthy lives of body attunement that many desire, the alternative method must provide the benefits of popular forms of birth control, but without the drawbacks. Fertility monitoring with the support of advanced technology could start a second sexual revolution.
Posted on: Tuesday, September 29th 2015
Written By: Holly Grigg-Spall
Advanced tech draws on 30 years of research to create a natural rival to hormonal contraceptives.
With evidence mounting of the adverse effects of the birth control pill and hormonal contraceptives, women are ditching the drugs in droves and searching for a natural alternative that can equal the pill in effectiveness and convenience. Where the pharmaceutical industry has let women down producing only variations on the same invasive model for pregnancy prevention, the technology sector has stepped in to lend a helping hand. A paradigm shift is underway, with more and more women rejecting the expectation that they must suffer through the gut health issues like IBS, nutritional deficiencies that lead to low immunity, and mental health problems associated with hormonal contraceptives in order to merely manage their fertility.
What used to be seen as throwback birth control has taken on a futuristic twist. The natural birth control method of cycle tracking was, in the past, viewed as both ineffective and unrealistically time-consuming for the majority of women and the typical lives they tend to lead. Fertility monitors that utilize a tried-and-tested algorithm-based system to learn, understand, and then interpret fertility signs are providing a third way that allows women a choice that has none of the drawbacks of drugs or manual cycle tracking with pen, paper or smartphone app alone. Essentially it's about women biohacking their cycles with the help of technology to make natural birth control a viable, easy option that works.
The latest advancement in this technology is Daysy, a fertility monitor grounded in the 30 years of research and analysis of 5 million menstrual cycles that made its predecessor Lady-Comp the most popular fertility management system on the market. Developed in Germany to the strict medical device testing guidelines of the European Union, Daysy has a clinically proven Pearl Index of 0.7% and is 99.3% effective. For women coming off hormonal contraceptives this device provides a much needed confidence boost for going drug-free with a simple color-coded feedback system to alert the user to the fertile and infertile days of their unique cycle.
Often with this transition from the socially-sanctified hormonal methods of contraception to a natural method, it can be the boyfriend or husband that needs the most convincing - fertility monitors relieve women of the burden of shouldering this responsibility alone. The demands manual cycle tracking can put on a woman with a hectic schedule, changeable sleep pattern, busy social life or small children can make natural birth control seem off-limits to many, keeping some on the pill much longer than wanted, and suffering all the side effects. The democratization of natural birth control methods is an important step in women's emancipation from unnecessary pharmaceuticals.
Meeting women where they're at currently with their needs, wants, and lifestyles means providing a realistic and real rival to the pull of the pill, which has stayed on shelves for some 50 years for many reasons, the strongest of which could be its convenience. For women to be empowered to lead the healthy lives of body attunement that many desire, the alternative method must provide the benefits of popular forms of birth control, but without the drawbacks. Fertility monitoring with the support of advanced technology could start a second sexual revolution.
