Recent CYCLE survey, undertaken in partnership with Natural Cycles, builds a richer picture of the current birth control landscape.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / November 14, 2019 / A study of more than 4,000 women and almost 500 healthcare professionals surrounding today's natural birth control landscape, contraceptive survey 'CYCLE' was conducted by Natural Cycles in partnership with a leading market research firm late last year. Designed to build a more vibrant picture of the need for natural methods of birth control and attitudes to fertility based approaches, Natural Cycles' Elina Berglund explains how the survey has helped the company to better understand feelings toward natural contraception.
"First and foremost, it's about fully understanding attitudes to natural birth control," explains Berglund, Natural Cycles CEO and co-founder, of the recent study.
The CYCLE survey, conducted by Natural Cycles, the company behind the Natural Cycles digital contraceptive app, in partnership with Dynata, formerly Research Now, a leading global market research firm based in Plano, Texas, was designed to build a richer picture of the current natural birth control landscape, including the unmet need for natural options, and the attitudes of women and healthcare professionals toward fertility based methods.
Some 4,023 women and a further 499 healthcare professionals from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany took part in the survey in August 2018. CYCLE found that, when choosing a birth control method, 91 percent of American women rated effectiveness as either an 'important' or 'very important' consideration.
"Factors associated specifically with natural methods, however, were also rated as important or very important by many women," reveals Berglund. Indeed, 43 percent of American women not currently using birth control stated that they chose not to do so because they're opposed to taking hormones.
Among German participants, this number increases to 56 percent, while in the United Kingdom, it falls to 36 percent, according to Natural Cycles CEO Berglund. "Overall, these and other similar results from the CYCLE survey demonstrate that there's an unmet need for effective, natural birth control options," she adds.
Central to Natural Cycles' concept, and the basis for the Natural Cycles app, are fertility awareness-based methods. Fertility awareness-based methods determine the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle so that she may abstain from sex or use protection on fertile days to avoid pregnancy. According to Berglund, this method is based on regular monitoring of fertility biomarkers such as cycle length, cervical mucus, and so-called basal body temperature.
Natural Cycles' CYCLE survey found that, among American women, over 40 percent suggested that they would consider using fertility awareness-based methods. "The most common reason given for this," Berglund reveals, "was because they wished to better understand their body and cycle."
A total of 47 percent of American participants responded this way. Between 37 and 45 percent of participants, meanwhile, gave reasons including seeking an option which had no negative impact on their health, body, or mind; seeking a more natural approach to birth control; and seeking greater personal control over their body and fertility.
The CYCLE survey also demonstrated that healthcare professionals across the board were underestimating women's interest in fertility awareness-based methods of birth control. "While the CYCLE survey suggested that between 58 and 63 percent of healthcare professionals believed that fewer than 20 percent of women would be interested, we learned that this number was, in fact, actually as high as 41 percent," reveals Berglund.
The findings from the CYCLE survey, Natural Cycles say, therefore reveal a need for greater education around fertility awareness-based methods among women and healthcare professionals alike, in order to improve the level of care and support for those seeking natural forms of birth control.
"The insights from the survey drive a call to action for healthcare professionals to respond to women who proactively request information about natural methods of birth control," suggests Berglund, "and for advocacy groups to build upon existing resources to further support these women."
"By improving education and communications around the full range of options available," she adds, wrapping up, "more women will, as a result, be able to find a method of birth control that truly suits their individual requirements."
Natural Cycles was founded by Elina Berglund and Raoul Scherwitzl, a couple who, at the time, were seeking an effective method of birth control which was non-invasive and hormone-free. Today, Natural Cycles is responsible for the first and only birth control application available for download in the United States and Europe, making the Natural Cycles app a groundbreaking piece of technology in the burgeoning digital contraceptive landscape.
To learn more about Natural Cycles, or to download the Natural Cycles app, head to https://www.naturalcycles.com/.
CONTACT:
Caroline Hunter
Web Presence, LLC
+1 7865519491
SOURCE: Web Presence, LLC
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