ASA probe into birth control app claims

An investigation has been launched into a contraceptive app’s claim to be “highly accurate” after it was the subject of complaints.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it was probing a paid-for Facebook post in relation to the app.

The watchdog said the app had described itself as a “highly accurate, certified, contraceptive app that adapts to every woman’s unique menstrual cycle” and said it is a “clinicallytested alternative to birth control methods”.

The ASA said it had yet to make a decision in the case and would publish the findings of its formal investigation in due course.

Natural Cycles was certified in the EU as a medical device intended to be used for contraception, and the app markets itself as a viable alternative to the pill and other hormonal treatments.