Human performance company WHOOP has added an integration with Natural Cycles° that will allow members to share overnight skin temperature data with the Natural Cycles app for fertility tracking and hormone-free birth control.
“Women’s health has historically been underrepresented in research and wearable technology. WHOOP has spent years trying to help close that data gap by investing in research to better understand women’s physiology. Working with Natural Cycles° was the obvious next step. They are the only FDA-cleared hormone-free birth control app backed by clinically validated fertility technology,” a WHOOP spokesperson told Lana in an exclusive interview.
“This integration gives members a more connected view of their health, so fertility can be understood alongside sleep, recovery and other biometrics, rather than in isolation. Our goal is for WHOOP to become a single health platform for women, where continuous wearable data, reproductive health insights, AI and personalised coaching work together to help members understand what’s happening in their bodies, in real time and over time,” the spokesperson added.
WHOOP will include a 12-month Natural Cycles subscription with any WHOOP membership for eligible members who are new to Natural Cycles. Existing Natural Cycles subscribers will not qualify for the subscription offer but will be able to use the integration.
The service is available through WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG devices. Members using Nare not yet eligible.
Natural Cycles, also known as NC°, is an FDA-cleared hormone-free birth control app and a Class II medical device. It has received six FDA clearances, has more than six million registered users and is supported by peer-reviewed studies, according to WHOOP.
How will WHOOP devices link temperature data with Natural Cycles?
Members can automatically share overnight skin temperature data collected by WHOOP with the Natural Cycles app. Natural Cycles uses overnight skin temperature and other biomarker information, including heart rate data, to determine a fertility status for each day. The app identifies fertile and non-fertile days and can be used to prevent pregnancy without hormones.
The app also includes modes for pregnancy planning, pregnancy, postpartum and perimenopause.
Members will receive their fertility status and related insights in the Natural Cycles app. Their WHOOP data will continue to provide information about sleep, recovery, strain, stress and other health measures.
WHOOP’s spokesperson said the automatic sharing process was intended to make fertility tracking easier to include in an existing health routine.
“This reflects a broader shift in women’s health. Wearables are evolving from fitness trackers into more personalised health platforms, helping close the longstanding data gap in female physiology across every life stage, from menstruation and conception through to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause and menopause. On accuracy, the NC° Birth Control app is an FDA-cleared Class II medical device with six FDA clearances trusted by more than six million registered users worldwide and backed by peer-reviewed studies,” the spokesperson said.
Integration also combines fertility status with sleep and recovery data
WHOOP also revealed that the integration differed from fertility-tracking services that require users to record temperature data through a separate process.
“It removes friction. Fertility is no longer treated as separate from sleep, recovery and overall wellbeing. The integration connects clinically validated fertility insights with the continuous data members already get from WHOOP. The result is a more complete and personalized view that helps members make better informed decisions about their reproductive health,” the spokesperson explained.
WHOOP’s integration could further support people exploring hormone-free contraception or fertility-awareness methods by making temperature collection more consistent.
“Natural Cycles° uses overnight skin temperature, alongside other biomarker data, to determine a personalised daily fertility status,” a WHOOP spokesperson said.
“Syncing that data automatically from WHOOP makes the process easier and more consistent, helping women take a more proactive approach to their health, particularly those exploring hormone-free contraception or fertility-awareness methods.”
WHOOP said wearables were moving beyond fitness tracking and towards platforms covering menstruation, conception, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause and menopause.
“This reflects a broader shift in women’s health,” a WHOOP spokesperson said.
“Wearables are evolving from fitness trackers into more personalised health platforms, helping close the longstanding data gap in female physiology across every life stage, from menstruation and conception through to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause and menopause.”
WHOOP reports growth in women members
WHOOP said women were among the membership groups recording the most growth, with membership among women increasing by 111 per cent year on year. Women now account for 24 per cent of new WHOOP members, according to the company.
WHOOP also said fertility tracking was the women’s health function requested most often by its members. In the Gulf Cooperation Council, menstruation is the second-most logged behaviour among WHOOP members, the company said.
WHOOP said the GCC recorded the highest volume of menstruation logging and the largest natural-cycle population when compared with other regions. It said the data indicated interest in reproductive health and non-hormonal options.
WHOOP said its work on women’s health began before the Natural Cycles partnership. “This isn’t new for us,” the spokesperson said, revealing that WHOOP has been “investing in women’s physiology for years.”
In 2021, the company acknowledged that women had been underrepresented in research, wearable technology and health insights.
WHOOP said it had since conducted or supported work covering menstrual cycles, pregnancy, menopause, strength training and performance among female athletes. It has also continued to invest in algorithms designed around women’s physiology.
The company also revealed that research had informed Menstrual Cycle Insights and Hormonal Insights within the WHOOP platform. The features account for changes in recovery, sleep and strain recommendations during the month based on hormonal changes within the menstrual cycle, according to WHOOP.
“These features turned that research into practical, personalized guidance for members. This partnership is the next step in our strategy to build a connected women’s health platform grounded in continuous and personalised physiological data, scientific research and AI-powered insights,” the WHOOP spokesperson said.
Members retain control over WHOOP data sharing
As for date security, WHOOP explicitly said it would not sell member data and that members would remain in control of the information they chose to share.
“We’re not in the business of selling member data. We use that data to make WHOOP better, deliver more useful insights and help members improve their health. Member data is protected, and members remain in control of it, including what information they choose to share with WHOOP. Our full privacy policy is available here,” the spokesperson said, concluding that members place immense trust in the company about personal information such as sleep, recovery, strain, stress and health – a responsibility WHOOP takes seriously.
