Definitely won't break: the Swedish physicist's app has been officially recognized as a means of contraception

The first application in the world that was approved as a contraceptive was created by a nuclear physicist from Sweden. The sensational app started as a woman's hobby.

Source: BBC

Elina Berglund Scherwitzl is a nuclear physicist from Sweden. She worked in the group that discovered the Higgs boson. Elina used hormonal contraceptives, but decided to look for an alternative, where her data skills came in handy.

"Like many women, I have tried different options of contraception since adolescence, and have not found a solution that suits me personally. It was in the process of searching for an effective natural alternative that I discovered that the body temperature can determine the period of the ability to fertilize. And it was a revelation for me," Berglund Scherwitzl said.

With the help of mathematics and data analysis, a woman has developed an algorithm that accurately determines the ovulation period.

She was satisfied with the results. Together with her husband Raoul Scherwitzl, also a physicist, she created the Natural Cycles application. It is designed to help women solve family planning and contraception issues by allowing them to collect body temperature data and closely monitor cycle trends. The application was released in 2014, it is already used by 300,000 people. In the UK, an annual subscription costs 50 pounds, which includes the cost of a thermometer.

In February 2017, after several medical tests, the Natural Cycles application became the first technological device that was officially certified for use as a means of contraception. After that, sales of the application increased, and the company's turnover doubled compared to last year.

The application is equivalent to tablets in terms of effectiveness. This comparison became possible after a study involving more than four thousand women.

Berglund Scherwitzl admits that the effectiveness of using the app depends on how accurately a woman follows the instructions. Perhaps this method of contraception is not suitable for everyone. Mainly because the application cannot protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

"Just like when taking pills, users must perform certain daily actions. But we really hope to become an alternative way for those who do not want to use hormonal contraception or an intrauterine device," says Elina.

The couple hopes to increase the number of users of the app in developing countries and where religion is an obstacle to contraception.

"We have achieved more than I had hoped for, and it's an amazing feeling. But we should not stop there," says Elina. — Now is the time to grow and attract all women in the world… Every pregnancy should bring happiness."