You can start measuring the first day, or at your earliest convenience after you quit your hormonal contraception (birth control). Please read more about when to start after being on other contraception methods here.
It can take a while for your first ovulation to occur - until then, you will be given only Red days for Prevent users, and brown days for Plan users. In general, ovulation is inhibited while using hormonal contraception (birth control), so it may take a while for your cycle to become regular again.
It is highly individual how long it can take for the first ovulation to occur; it can be from a few weeks to a few months. With this in mind, measuring according to our guidelines will allow our smart algorithm to be able to detect when you have ovulated.
In the first cycle, you do not need to use LH tests as a Prevent user, as it will be difficult to tell when you might ovulate. As your cycle has been on hold for a long time, you may experience a lot of red days during your first months with Natural Cycles. This is a safety precaution by the app when in Prevent plan. With each ovulatory cycle, you will get more and more green days.
For a Plan user, you should take LH tests when/if the app suggests you to. Otherwise, it's still just about measuring often.
If you would like to read some more information about switching birth control methods, you can head over to our blog post here.