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Cycle Matters Editorial Policy
Topics in women’s health are often under-researched and shrouded in stigma. Compounding this, the internet is full of misinformation in this area. At Natural Cycles, our mission is to empower you with the knowledge you need to take charge of your health. At Cycle Matters, we create fact-checked, expert-written content that tackles these topics in a compassionate and accessible way.
Our Writing Team
As a female-founded company, empowering women is at the forefront of everything we do at Natural Cycles. We employ a dedicated team of writers, all with first-hand experience in creating content in the reproductive health field. Every article we write about female health is subject to fact-checking and a scientific and/or medical review process. Articles written by freelance writers undergo the same editorial process as content created in-house, and all our content is held to the same high standards.
Our content review process
We are intentional about every single piece of content we publish on our blog, and we only write articles that we believe will provide helpful, valuable information to our readers. Our review process is a multi-step approach that ensures every article has multiple reviewers, including medical or scientific experts, where relevant. Here’s an outline of our process:
- Content is written and reviewed internally by a team of writers
- Content is sent for scientific review to our panel of medical and scientific experts
- Existing content is continually audited internally by our Regulatory Team to ensure we comply with guidelines set by regulatory bodies such as the FDA
- Content is continuously refreshed and revised where necessary to ensure information is kept accurate and up-to-date
Our AI content policy
All our content is written by people who are knowledgeable and passionate about women’s health. Artificial intelligence may be used to inspire or ideate early in the writing process, but our articles are never written by AI. Our AI policy is based on three pillars:
Authority: As a certified medical device, we are an authority on topics such as birth control and reproductive health. For this reason it’s essential our content continues to be of a high quality and is always created and reviewed firsthand by experts.
Accuracy: Providing our readers with useful and correct information is at the forefront of our content creation. We will always ensure that any content we publish is written and edited by a qualified expert.
Accreditation: It’s not always clear with AI content where it is sourced from, or who is the original author. Our content will always cite and credit content from external sources.
Our sourcing policy
Thorough research goes into every single article we write. We only draw from trusted and reputable sources while creating content, and these sources are always verified during our review process. The types of sources we may refer to include:
- Scientific journals (such as Nature and The British Medical Journal)
- Non-profits (such as Planned Parenthood and March of Dimes)
- Government websites (such as the NHS and CDC)
- Academic textbooks (such as Contraceptive Technology)
While we aim to make the information within each article accessible to our readers, we will always cite or link to scientific studies. This way, you can clearly see where we get our facts from and have the option to explore the original body of research to learn more.
Writing to our NC° core values
Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do.
Caring: While we sometimes address difficult or sensitive content on our blog, we always want our readers to feel safe and comfortable. It’s important to us that information about female health is accessible to everyone who needs it.
Confident: Natural Cycles is the only FDA Cleared birth control app. Our certification as a medical device and the regular audits and regulatory processes we undergo ensure we remain an authority when it comes to topics such as reproductive health and contraception.
Credible: Our content is always grounded in trusted scientific sources, such as medical journals, academic textbooks, and government guidance. We also carry out our own research, furthering knowledge in the medical and scientific community.
Committed: Female health is a historically under-researched and under-funded area, changing the tide doesn’t happen overnight. We have spent over a decade creating content that’s intended to empower and demystify, and we’re not going to stop any time soon.
Writing with inclusivity in mind
Women's health has been historically underserved and underfunded, and the Natural Cycles Team works hard each day to change that. At the same time, we know that not all individuals who benefit from our product and research may identify as women. We want everyone who visits Cycle Matters to find our articles helpful and welcoming. This is reflected in our choice of language.
If you’d like to learn more about the background behind why we use the language that we do, please check out our Inclusiveness Statement.
We’re listening
We know the importance of our community, and we couldn’t do what we do without you. If you have thoughts, ideas, or questions about anything you’ve read on our blog, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out via our customer support help desk, or send us a message on social media.
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