When should I start using Natural Cycles after pregnancy, and which mode should I choose?
You can get started with Natural Cycles at any point after pregnancy.
The NC° app has a dedicated mode for postpartum recovery — NC° Postpartum — which guides you through the physical and mental recovery of childbirth. It includes many features, such as daily check-ins for mental and physical health and educational resources, including important education about the return of fertility post-birth.
NC° Postpartum is optional, and you are free to use a different mode after giving birth.
Learn more about how to access NC° Postpartum and its features here.
How can I inform the app that I have recently been pregnant?
If you’re a first-time Natural Cycles user
When you set up your account, the app will ask you if you have been pregnant in the last 12 months and if you've gotten your period since.*
It’s valuable for the algorithm to know if you’ve been pregnant recently, so make sure to answer ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Have you been pregnant during the past 12 months?’ whether your pregnancy went full term or not.
Note: If you’ve informed the app that you were recently on hormonal birth control, you will not be asked about a recent pregnancy. The app is already aware that cycle irregularities are expected in your upcoming cycles due to quitting hormonal birth control. As a result, the algorithm will give you a bigger safety margin of Red Days for your first few cycles of using NC° Birth Control. Knowing about a recent pregnancy is not needed in this case.
If you have not gotten your period back since giving birth, you can also choose the NC° Postpartum mode when you sign up, which will automatically record a recent pregnancy.
*If you recently signed up and need to re-answer your setup questions, you can do so by opening your app > tap the menu in the top left corner of the screen > My profile > Answer setup questions again.
If you have used Natural Cycles in the past but have not logged your pregnancy
You can log your pregnancy in the past by going to the Calendar view and following the steps below:
- Select the first day of your last period before the pregnancy > Edit > select Period > Save. Remember to log your period for the following days as well, depending on how long you bled. Skip this step if the last period before pregnancy was already logged.
- Select the day you had a positive pregnancy test > Edit > log a positive pregnancy test (if you are in the NC° Birth Control mode, you will need to scroll down to Emergency Contraception & Tests) > Save.
- Select the day the pregnancy ended > Edit > log a negative pregnancy test or select ‘No longer pregnant’ > Save.
If you used Natural Cycles before the pregnancy and have logged it
You just need to inform the algorithm that the pregnancy ended.
You do this by going to your Settings and updating your mode to NC° Postpartum, NC° Birth Control, or NC° Plan Pregnancy (for further assistance on this, you can also look at this article).
If you need any help with logging your pregnancy, you can contact our Customer Care Team here.
How to log postpartum bleeding
Postpartum bleeding can vary widely from person to person. It can last up to six weeks, and it’s common for it to stop and start again.
If you experience bleeding after giving birth, you should log it as Postpartum bleeding.
The Postpartum bleeding tracker will replace the Period tracker after birth. You will get the Period tracker back once it’s been more than six weeks since you gave birth, Postpartum bleeding hasn’t been logged in the last three days, or the NC° Algorithm has detected ovulation.
Will the algorithm take my pregnancy into account?
Yes, Natural Cycles will take your recent pregnancy into account.
You will only be given Red Days until your first ovulation is confirmed or you log your first period. The timing of your first ovulation post-birth can vary widely from person to person and often depends on whether you’re breastfeeding or not.
The algorithm expects cycle irregularities in your first few cycles and will give you more Red Days (for NC° Birth Control and NC° Postpartum) or Brown Days (for NC° Plan pregnancy).
Your postpartum cycle will not be considered in your averages and predictions. This means that when you start a new cycle with a period entry and get back to measuring, the predictions will be based on your past completed cycles before the pregnancy.
Because your first cycle postpartum is expected to differ from all your other cycles, you won’t see any predictions in the app until ovulation has been detected or you’ve logged a period.
When should I start measuring after giving birth?
While taking your temperature is not required in the first cycle after birth or in NC° Postpartum, measuring is encouraged as it helps our algorithm detect when your fertility returns so you can feel prepared and in control.
You can still measure even if you're breastfeeding. Visit this article for more information on using the app while breastfeeding
How to measure with a newborn
We understand that it may be trickier to have a regular measuring routine while caring for a newborn. If you’re measuring with a basal thermometer, we recommend measuring your temperature after the longest stretch of sleep you usually get during the night, regardless of when you wake up, and that you measure as soon as you wake up (before tending to your baby). Try to find a measuring routine that works for you and your family, and measure before moving around in bed.
Tip: If you’re struggling with measuring with a basal thermometer, you can use Natural Cycles with an Oura Ring or Apple Watch. When using a wearable device such as the Oura Ring or Apple Watch, your temperature trend data is measured overnight while you sleep. This means you no longer need to measure with your oral thermometer as soon as you wake up! Learn more about Natural Cycles powered by Oura here and Natural Cycles powered by the Apple Watch here.