A mobile phone application has received medical approval to be used as a contraceptive in the EU. This move could spell the end of traditional forms of hormonal birth control. 

Natural Cycles is a fertility tracking app that can inform users if they are fertile or not by monitoring their temperature. The app can tell users how fertile they are on a given day and if they can have sex without the risk of pregnancy.  

This is the first time technology of this nature has been classified as being effective in terms of contraception. The company posted on their site earlier this week,

"Natural Cycles has officially become the only app approved for contraception in Europe. We are happy to be able to say that the app is now an approved and CE marked medical device of class IIb, intended to be used for contraception." 

Temperature

Women must take their temperature every morning and insert the data into the app. The app can tell the days users will be fertile based upon minor temperature fluctuations after ovulation.