Women in the UK are being let down by much more than their contraception
Written by Dr. Elina Berglund
Dr. Elina Berglund
Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl is the co-founder and co-CEO of Natural Cycles. Prior to founding Natural Cycles, Elina was part of the team that discovered the Higgs Boson at the CERN laboratory, which led to the Nobel Prize in physics in 2013. Following this success, Elina was looking for a reliable natural birth control option and decided to apply her skills from particle physics to create a unique algorithm to pinpoint when a woman was fertile. From there, Natural Cycles was born, and today, the Natural Cycles birth control app is the only app in the UK regulated for contraceptive use.
As a woman, I’m pissed off. As a scientist, I’m disturbed. And as a mother, I am saddened. This is a wake-up call. We are not being told the full story about our reproductive health.
This week, a study published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health triggered a viral wave of media coverage. The study highlighted a rise in women discontinuing contraception and seeking abortions, as well as a smaller rise in women using fertility awareness-based methods who also sought abortions. What does this data really tell us? One simple truth: women’s contraceptive needs are not being met.
Like any woman who has tried to prevent pregnancy, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to find the right contraception. Research shows that, on average, women use more than three different types of birth control throughout their lifetime.
In 2012, I started thinking about how things could be different—not just for me, but for all women. I’d experienced unpleasant side effects from the pill as a teenager but later found the implant worked well for me. However, when my husband and I began thinking about the future and our plans to start a family, I decided not to have it replaced. The options my doctor presented afterward were uninspiring, to say the least. Frustrated, I left my job as a particle physicist at CERN and developed the algorithm that powers Natural Cycles—a temperature-based app that identifies fertile and non-fertile days.
Today, Natural Cycles is the only app certified as a contraceptive method. With typical use, it’s 93% effective, and with perfect use, it’s 98% effective. It’s not a period tracker, a calendar-based app, or the rhythm method. It’s a regulated, digital contraceptive in a category of its own. Despite this, the recent BMJ study lumped Natural Cycles (a method with the same typical use efficacy as the pill) together with other fertility awareness methods, some as rudimentary as pen and paper. The NHS website does the same, repeatedly ignoring Natural Cycles’ direct requests to differentiate digital contraception.
This misrepresentation isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous. A rise in abortion rates can point to many factors, such as inadequate contraceptive counseling, limited access to GP appointments, or declining use of long-acting contraceptives like the copper coil. Yet, instead of addressing these systemic barriers, recent media narratives have focused on blaming social media culture or shaming women for their choices. This approach helps no one. It perpetuates the outdated notion that women should simply accept the limited contraceptive options available, regardless of whether they work for them.
It’s not the 1960s anymore. Women today refuse to settle for solutions that don’t meet their needs.
The sad reality is that the same study revealed 70% of women seeking an abortion weren’t using any contraception—a 14% increase from previous data. Instead of addressing this crisis, the narrative focuses on women’s supposed ignorance or poor decision-making, reinforcing a prescriptive approach to birth control.
As healthcare professionals, journalists, and thought leaders, we must do better. We need to advocate for true contraceptive choice and ensure healthcare serves women’s needs. Hormonal birth control isn’t right for everyone, and that’s okay—as long as women have access to safe, effective alternatives.
The one-size-fits-all approach to contraception simply doesn’t work. Research shows nearly half of women stop using hormonal birth control within the first year due to intolerable side effects. It’s no wonder they’re seeking other less effective options or no option at all.
Women should never have to rely on uncertified period-tracking apps as a form of birth control. However, the numbers from the study, combined with our own growth data, make it clear that this is exactly what’s happening.
Even as the founder of Natural Cycles, I fully understand that it isn’t the right choice for everyone—just as the pill isn’t. However, with its strong scientific foundation and proven effectiveness, the Natural Cycles birth control app is a viable solution for many, not the problem, as some narratives suggest.
We take our responsibility to offer a regulated contraceptive option very seriously. That’s why, for a limited time, we’re making Natural Cycles available at no cost to women currently using less effective forms of contraception or no contraception at all. Our hope is to provide those who need it most with access to a reliable, hormone-free method of birth control.
As the mother of a 10-year-old girl, I’m saddened to see women’s health continue to be underfunded and under-researched. But I remain hopeful. Hearing from our users reminds me that change is possible. I believe in a future where every woman has the freedom, knowledge, and access to the healthcare she deserves—without limitation or judgment.
This is the bare minimum we should all demand.
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