Apple has introduced a new feature for the ladies in the new Apple Watch Series 8 to provide them with a superior estimate of when they ovulated based on the information from the new temperature sensors.
While utilizing the two sensors, the in-built menstrual cycle tracking application will check the user’s temperature at the wrist at a five seconds interval overnight to identify the changes in body temperature which occur during the monthly cycle leading to a high temperature during ovulation.
Apple’s watchOS 9 and iOS 16 also incorporate changes to the cycle tracking application that alerts the users on any anomalies in their menstrual cycle based on the information they input about their periods. Deviations from someone’s ordinary cycle like more spotting than normal can be considered a red flag for health conditions such as fibroids or polycystic ovary disorder (PCOS)s, Sumbul Desai, Apple’s health vice president said during an Apple launch event.
For those who rely on body temperature information to determine when they’re likely to induce pregnancy, they may traditionally have to physically check their body temperature to determine when ovulation is likely to take place. However, Apple’s new feature in the series 8 Apple watch has automated this process hence increasing ovulation prediction accuracy.
Therefore, this feature has been pitched by Apple as an option for women who are trying to get pregnant. “If you’re trying to conceive, knowing if and when you ovulated can inform your family planning with your healthcare provider,” Desai said. Similarly, it can also be utilized as a pregnancy prevention technique if correctly implemented, however, it may not an appropriate strategy for individuals with unpredictable cycles differing from month to month.
While this feature portrays great potential, it cannot be sold as a pregnancy prevention technique because it’s not Food and Drug Administration-approved as birth control. However, such new features are getting closer to previously invented technologies that have since been approved for the market as a birth control techniques.
For instance, the Natural Cycles application was controversially cleared by the FDA in 2018 as a birth control measure. This app also utilizes the body temperature and cycle tracking information of an individual to predict and determine when someone is most likely to become pregnant as well as let them know to use condoms or abstain from sex to avoid unwanted pregnancy.
