Many Cyclers ask us if they need to add their sex data, and the simple answer is: yes. The benefits are many, both to you and us, including our Science team and our Research & Development team.
Our Science and R&D teams use the data that our Cyclers add to their apps to perform the high-quality research that we do and continuously improve the app and the algorithm. This enables us to perform the studies we have so far, which includes the latest clinical study that is the largest study ever conducted, not only on Natural Cycles but also on natural contraception, which included over 22.000 women!
The benefits of adding sex data are many, as informed earlier, and more specifically:
When using NC° Plan Pregnancy, it helps you know the chances of conception for each cycle, as you will know exactly when you had sex in relation to your ovulation. It will also help you analyze if you and your partner should aim for intercourse a few more times in the days leading up to ovulation or not. We recommend every other day during the fertile (pink-red) days.
When using NC° Birth Control, it helps you track how well you and your partner use protection and also informs you of the possibility of a pregnancy should a protective method fail or be forgotten during sex.
For all Cyclers, it helps you get to know your body even better! Did you know that your libido (sex drive) increases before and during ovulation? Sex drive is also a telltale of your overall health, where you may not be ‘in the mood’ as often if you are not feeling well, sleeping poorly, etc.
How do you add your sex data? If you open your Add Data page, you will see ‘Sex’ right above your Notes for the day. For NC° Birth Control, you have three options: 'Protected,' 'Unprotected,' and 'None.' For NC° Plan Pregnancy, you have two options: ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’
We count all your data points per calendar day, meaning from midnight to midnight. This means that if you have had sex at 11 pm (23.00), you will log it for that day. If you had sex after midnight, you would then add the sex data for the following day.
Remember that you can always alter and add data for previous days by clicking on any day in the Calendar view or swiping left/right in Add data view.
So, what do the different options mean? For NC° Plan Pregnancy, it’s very straightforward - where you only need to add whether you’ve had sex or not. For NC° Birth Control, there is a bit more detail involved as we also need to know whether protection has been used or not.
Protected = We have had sex, and a barrier method has been used (Condom or Other)
Unprotected = We have had sex, and no barrier method was used (Withdrawal or No Withdrawal)
None = We did not have sex today
We understand that this may feel private to share, but remember that your data is anonymous. Our Science and R&D teams don’t know your name when using the data, as all data is used in an anonymized format and most often done via algorithms and other computerized systems.
Kindly remember that Natural Cycles recommends condoms on all red days when using NC° Birth Control.