A fertility app that is believed to be as effective as the pill boasting a prediction system that is right 99.95% of the time, has donated $25 million worth of subscriptions to women in Brazil.

 

Women in South American countries have been advised to postpone pregnancy due to the Zika virus that causes birth defects, yet they are unable to avail of contraception due to “moral and social reasons”

 

Creators of Natural Cycles, which identifies a woman’s ovulation cycle, and therefore most fertile time, by tracking their period and temperature, hopes that this app will act just like a contraception would – without interfering in a woman’s body.

 

Talking about their campaign, Natural Cycles co-founder Dr Raoul Scherwitzl said: “Access to contraception is often limited in many of the countries hit by Zika due to moral and social reasons."

 

“Those do not apply to the Natural Cycles app as we do not interfere with a woman’s body in any way – our app simply helps to educate women and their partner about her fertility."

 

 

Adding that the app can then be used to “accelerate pregnancy” once the virus is under control, Dr Scherwitzl explained: “The data collected by the app to postpone pregnancies during this time can then be used to find the most fertile days in order to accelerate pregnancies once Zika is deemed to be under control.”

 

The virus has previously been linked with microcephaly, a condition where the baby is born with an abnormally small head, as well as other developmental defects.

 

For those in the process of trying to get pregnant, who have planned to travel to the affected areas, the CDC’s advice is to get in touch with a doctor about possible ways to increase their protection.

 

The CDC went on to share some tips for protecting against mosquito bites, which included:

  • Wearing long-sleeved tops and full-length trousers
  • Using insect repellents
  • Treating clothing with an effective repellent, also

 

The app will be available for six months from today, Thursday, 5th May. 

 

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