Banned, ad for birth control app

A FACEBOOK advert for a contraception app that claimed it was ‘highly accurate’ in helping women avoid pregnancy has been banned as misleading.

The Natural Cycles app claimed to be a better option than the pill or a condom, but watchdogs ruled it is not as effective as the coil, injections or implants.

It was promoted as the world’s first app to offer a more natural form of contraception that works with a woman’s body, rather than using artificial methods.

Users are required to input their body temperature every day, together with information like the date of periods and when they have sex. The software then creates a personal algorithm to identify days when it is safe to have sex without fear of getting pregnant.

The app costs £39.99 a year or £5.99 a month and is the first to carry a CE mark, which means it has met EU standards.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority rules today that it does not qualify as a ‘highly accurate’ when compared to the most effective methods.