A MUST READ FOR WOMEN: See How App Can Track Your Monthly Cycles (VIDEO)

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Could an app one day REPLACE the contraceptive pill (and warn us when the dreaded PMT will strike)?

• Women enter details about their periods, current mood and pain levels
• The Clue app learns their cycle to predict when they're most fertile
• It could one day become an alternative to contraception or when planning a baby if used with a hardware sensor
• Millions of women cannot take the Pill because of side effects including depression, headaches and weight gain

An entrepreneur has claimed that her new app could one day replace the contraceptive pill, and even warn women when to expect premenstrual tension.
Company owner Ida Tin, 34, said that she wants to change the family planning industry and that there has been no innovation since the invention of the Pill 60 years ago.
The free iPhone app, called Clue, tracks the user's menstrual cycle and can predict the times they can have sex without the risk of getting pregnant.
It can also be used for women trying for a baby because the app tells them when they are most fertile and when the chances of getting pregnant are at their highest.  
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A new free app called Clue, pictured, claims to be able to replace the contraceptive pill by learning a woman's cycle and predicting the dates when they are most fertile. This can be used for couples trying to have a baby as well as tell women when is the safest time to have sex without risk of pregnancy

HOW DOES CLUE WORK?

The Clue app allows women to enter details about their periods, mood and pain levels.
This allows the app to learn their cycle, and predict accurately using a series of algorithms developed in association with fertility researchers, the best and worst times for them to get pregnant, and when they will experience PMS.
Future versions of the app will use hardware to measure their body temperature and other data, and will be able to alert them if any unusual changes are detect, and even send details to their doctor.

‘I want to change the family planning industry, we haven’t had any innovation in this space since the pill came out 60 years ago,’ said Ida Tin, the company’s 34-year-old co-founder.

 

'Our ultimate aim is to replace the birth control pill, or at least give an alternative.’
The app allows women to enter details about their mood, pain levels and other factors, and over time, the app learns their cycle and can predict their fertility.
‘This gives women a very accurate idea of when they will, and won’t, get pregnant.
'We want to take women by the hand from their first period to menopause.
‘Period tracking apps are very popular, but the maths behind a lot of them is flawed, and it’s shocking how low the quality is.
‘What I’ve found is that women want to know what’s going on, they want to know if they are normal.
‘We want to give women the answers to these questions, we wanted to build something scientifically sound that learns from the user.’
Clue can also help a woman avoid getting pregnant.

The Clue app lets women enter details about their mood, pain levels and dates of last period. The app then learns their cycle and can predict accurately, using a series of algorithms developed in association with fertility researchers, the best and worst times for them to get pregnant

‘One of the things I have heard again and again from women over the last few years is that many have concerns about taking hormones every day for contraception,’ says Tin.
‘Millions of women cannot take the Pill because of severe side effects. For these women, Clue can help them decode their cycles so they can make good decisions.’ 

 

DEMO: Find out how app tracks your monthly cycle

 

The app is the first in a series of products from the company, and it is working on a hardware gadget to make the app even more accurate.
However, Tin was keen to play down using the app as a contraceptive aid for the time being and recommended people wait for the hardware version to make it more accurate.
‘Hundreds of women around the world have already tested the app, including designers from Apple, Frog, and IDEO,’ said Mike LaVigne, former creative director at Frog Design in San Francisco, and now head of user experience at Clue, which is based in Berlin.
The app was revealed at the MobileBeat conference in San Francisco.
‘We’ve consistently heard that women are tired of pink-themed tracking apps covered with flowers and butterflies.
'Our design is for women, not girls, and is modern, clean and confident. We also have totally re-thought the calendar approach because we knew we needed something much faster.’