Rethinking Birth Control: How Hormones, Cycle Phases & Your Health Are Connected

This episode is brought to you by Natural Cycles: The company changing the contraception game with the world’s first FDA-cleared birth control app. Whether you're looking to prevent pregnancy or plan for it, the Natural Cycles app offers a non-hormonal, non-invasive alternative to traditional birth control. Right now, you can get 15% off an annual subscription plus a freeBluetooth thermometer when you visit https://www.naturalcycles.com and use promo code VALERIA at checkout. Natural Cycles is for 18+ and does not protect against STIs. Always read and follow the instructions for use.

In this episode of Not Alone, Valeria sits down with Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, a former particle physicist turned femtech innovator, and the co-founder of Natural Cycles, the first FDA-cleared birth control app. Together, they dive into how Dr. Elina’s background in physics led her to develop a groundbreaking algorithm that helps women better understand their bodies, and offers a hormone-free alternative to traditional birth control.

The conversation explores everything from the skepticism she faced in disrupting a multi-billion-dollar industry, to how data and wearable technology are transforming women’s health. Valeria and Dr. Elina discuss the phases of the female cycle, the negative effects of hormonal birth control, and the importance of empowering women with better education and tools for their reproductive health. They also touch on the future of personalized medicine, male contraception, and the potential of syncing our lives more intentionally with our bodies.

📱Follow Dr. Elina:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elinascherwitzl/?hl=en

About Natural Cycles:

Website: https://www.naturalcycles.com/

Dr. Elina’s Book Recommendation: This Is Your Brain on Birth Control

Shop my looks from this episode: https://shopmy.us/shop/collections/2638644

Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/valerialipovetsky/ 

What we talked about: 

0:19 - Halloween at the Lipovetsky’s house

1:20 - Introducing Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzle

2:42 - Start of interview

4:00 - Dr. Elina’s background as a physicist 

5:13 - Starting Natural Cycles

7:00 - Creating an algorithm as a birth control method

9:00 - Skepticism about disrupting the birth control industry 

12:50 - Explaining how Natural Cycles work

13:35 - How the algorithm works

14:39 - Effectiveness is the same as hormonal birth control

17:17 - Negative effects of hormonal birth control

19:00 - Perimenopause 

21:00 - Changing sex ed

22:22 - Thoughts on male contraception

24:20 - Breaking down the phases of female cycles

26:15 - Monthly fertile window

27:40 - Women with Irregular cycles using Natural Cycles

29:00 - Getting Natural Cycles data to doctors

30:15 - Wearable technology

31:20 - Working with her husband

32:55 - The future of women’s health

36:53 - Can women sync their cycles?

37:20 - Users questions and comments

40:13 - Dr. Elina’s Book Recommendation

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