In a landmark fertility-app study, researchers from Georgetown University found a 1% failure rate for perfect use and 5% failure rate for typical use

3.18.2019

Cycle Technologies announced today that its fertility app Dot™ was shown in a recently completed study to be highly effective at preventing pregnancy.  The effectiveness study, which followed participants for a full year, found a 1 percent failure rate for perfect use and 5 percent failure rate for typical use. In a paper published in The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, the researchers said their "findings indicate that Dot is effective for pregnancy prevention, and most women are able to use Dot successfully according to their intention to prevent pregnancy." The study was conducted by the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

by ABC7 - Good Morning Washington with Adrianna Hopkins

2.5.2019

Founder and President of Cycle Technologies, Leslie Heyer, joined ABC7's Good Morning Washington recently to discuss how birth control apps (i.e. CycleBeads and Dot Fertility App) are a great alternative for women in the military, especially where access to contraception may be challenging. Interview conducted live at WJLA  ABC7 studio in Washington, D.C. 

by Julia Guerra

1.22.2019

When it comes to regulating your menstrual cycle, there’s really no such thing as a guarantee. Even if you’ve never forgotten to take your birth control on time since you first hopped on the pill, periods tend to operate around their own clock, so it's best to keep your expectations low, or at least neutral.

by Mary Paige Nesfeder

1.14.2019

Okay, we know what you're thinking — another period tracking app?! But hear us out. Dot isn't like the others, and we're not just saying that.

by Karen Johnson

1.5.2019

If you ask our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, many of them will say that the invention and mainstream availability of the birth control pill was one the greatest things to ever happen to women.

by Hannah Harris Green

12.28.2018

The state of Jharkhand in India launched a pilot project to test a calendar-based method of birth control developed at Georgetown University several years back. And along the way, it spurred conversations, and not just among couples. Hannah Harris Green reports.

by ABC7 - Good Morning Washington with Autria Godfrey

12.14.2018

Founder and President of Cycle Technologies, Leslie Heyer, joined ABC7's Good Morning Washington recently to discuss why fertility apps are gaining so much popularity and why so many millennials are now turning to their mobile devices to avoid pregnancy. Interview conducted at WJLA  ABC7 studio in Washington, D.C. 

by Julia Guerra

10.30.2018

Before you can assume your period isn't "normal," it's important to know what that even means. Ann Mullen, director of health education at Cycle Technologies, told INSIDER that "normal" menstrual cycles typically last anywhere from "21 to 35 days long."

PUBLIC RELEASE: GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

10.15.2018

Early results from a first-of-its-kind study suggests that typical use of a family planning app called Dot is as effective as other modern methods for avoiding an unplanned pregnancy.

Mid-Study Findings on the Dot Study Now Available

10.17.2018

The Dot Contraceptive Efficacy Study is the first real-world efficacy study on a fertility app that adheres to established contraceptive efficacy study guidelines. Researchers from the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University (with support from USAID) recruited +700 U.S. women from diverse backgrounds who willingly consented to participate in the Dot Study.

by J.R. Thorpe

9.13.2018

The big 3-5 is an important milestone for a lot of us (though age, as they say, shouldn't define you). By now, it's probably helpful to know how investing works, as well as what you're looking for in a partner, if you're looking for one at all. But when it comes to your health, things start to change once you're five years out from 40, and it's important to have an understanding of the baseline. From your reproductive health, to your family history, you should know these six things about your health like the back of your hand by the time you're 35.

by Women Love Tech

6.27.2018

We’re fans of period trackers, fertility and ovulation trackers, and birth control apps. But there are so many popular apps serving different purposes, it’s a bit difficult to know which one is the best app for you. To make this decision slightly easier, let’s have a look at the app which global health experts have termed “a game changer for women’s health” – Dot.

by Carolyn Centeno

6.17.2018

Women have become disconnected from understanding, being in tune with or feeling empowered by why we get our periods and when we are most fertile. Our periods are taboo and made to feel embarrassing. Policy is charged with religious and political undertones making contraception ... 

by Leslie Heyer

5.15.2018

This article originally published on Entrepreneur.com 5.15.18.

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The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal brought this privacy discussion front and center in the category of election data. But at the same time, this discussion can be applied to the dozens of companies handling data in the health realm. Examples of those struggling to protect user privacy there?

3.6.2018

First published online: February 27, 2018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1363/43e4617

by Sadhana Bharanidharan

4.6.2018

Due to misrepresented facts and scaremongering, many women face a challenge in separating reality from fiction regarding their periods. Ann Mullen, director of health education at Cycle Technologies, spoke to Medical Daily ... 

by Caitlin Flynn

3.19.2018

During a time when women’s reproductive rights are under vicious attack by both Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled House and Senate, many of us have learned that access to family planning options for all women can’t be taken for granted in America. But this has been the case for women in developing nations for years. Cycle Technologies, a company founded by Leslie Heyer, gives women...

by Carolyn Steber

3.9.2018

If you're not interested in having a baby right now, then you're probably following the ways to prevent pregnancy recommended by your doctor.  Maybe you're on hormonal birth control. Or tracking your period. Or stocking up on condoms, so you're never without.

by Brooklyn White

1.29.2018

You better believe that 2018 is the year of the woman. For too long in our society (and our world), men have held the most power (in government, religion, the work place etc.) and they have abused that power. Not only has that position been used to make women feel small, it has also seriously disadvantaged us in the physical ...

Company expects the CycleBeads app will bring new users to family planning in Latin America and help fill gaps where contraceptive access is limited.

1.26.2018

CycleBeads®, a scientifically based fertility app, is now available in Spanish on both iOS and Android phones. Developed by Cycle Technologies, the CycleBeads app is a patented technology based on the Standard Days Method® of family planning...

CT's Health Education Director, Ann Mullen, via mindbodygreen

1.10.2018

Period tracking in something a lot of women do. Whether you use an old-fashioned calendar or a high-tech app, tracking your menstrual cycle gives you a lot of important health information. It’s an easy way to check that things are running smoothly and is incredibly empowering. 

by Michele Weldon

12.29.2017

It’s not about the bike.

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Though that’s a phrase Lance Armstrong used for the title of his 2001 memoir of cycling and life, for the company Leslie Heyer founded in 2002, it was at first but now isn’t at all about the ...

by Tristan Greene

12.19.2017

A group of researchers recently developed a ‘smart pill’ system. The idea is that a patient will swallow a pill coated in gel containing a sensor, and doctors can track use. It’s not the first time this has been done, but this experiment focused on fighting opioid... 

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by Lisa Milbrand, Parents Magazine

10.26.2017

A leaked memo suggests the Trump administration is shifting women's health programs more toward fertility awareness and abstinence. That has many experts concerned, including Leslie Heyer, founder of Cycle Technologies, a global leader in the development of fertility awareness-based, family planning options. "I am deeply concerned that the administration is talking about promoting fertility awareness methods ...

by Leslie Heyer

10.1.2018

Investing in women should be a global priority.  There are the obvious humanitarian reasons, but it also makes sense from an economic perspective. Why is investing in women so impactful?

Cycle Technologies Releases 2-Page Summary Report Highlighting Ongoing Research as of October 2017

11.7.2017

As part of our commitment to FP2020, Cycle Technologies is providing free contraception to women globally. We've worked closely with researchers to see how the CycleBeads Android app works in a number low-resource countries with high unmet contraceptive need. These countries include Ghana, India, Jordan...

by Reece Armstrong

The medtech industry has predominately been male orientated, with a lack of women in top positions and commercial companies commonly targeting white male consumers, it isn’t surprising that women have been underrepresented.

Last year it was revealed that only 9% of digital health start-ups had women CEOs, but recently a new industry has launched specifically aimed at women’s healthcare – femtech...

by Deborah Thomas

8.1.2017

Technology is evolving on a daily basis with new innovations upstaging the current which can pose quite a challenge. What will keep Cycle Technologies relevant tomorrow?

Pledges Contraceptive Solutions to Over 10 Million Women At No Cost

7.11.2017

Cycle Technologies pledged to provide free family planning solutions to 10 million women by 2020 during the Family Planning Summit in London today. The pledge officially commits Cycle Technologies to Family Planning 2020 (FP2020), a global partnership that supports the right of women and girls to decide if and when they will have children. Cycle Technologies’ solutions will help address ...

by Jessica Naziri

7.10.2017

When you think of technology, you probably don't think of how it can help plan or prevent pregnancies, do you? Leslie Heyer, founder of Cycle Technologies, has used innovative technology that goes beyond gadgets and gizmos to help millions of women world-wide.

by SuperbCrew

6.30.2017

Cycle Technologies is a social impact company that creates simple, effective reproductive health technologies to help address women’s contraceptive needs. Their most recent invention is a smartphone app called Dot which uses a patent-pending algorithm to calculate a user’s conception risks using solely her cycle lengths. Dot is currently undergoing the first ever, full-scale contraceptive efficacy study on a fertility app...

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by Robyn Foyster

6.29.2017

4. Birth Control App: The romance of wedding season is prime time for love- or lust-based sexual relations, and today, users can depend on a mobile app, like the Dot™ app created by Cycle Technologies, to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

by Jennie Campbell

6.28.2017

With hundreds of fertility tracking apps available, choosing one can be an overwhelming task. Whether you’re looking for a tool to help you track your menstrual cycle or plan a pregnancy, there is bound to be an app that fits your needs. Before you do, here are five things you should consider before using a fertility app:

Analysis of over 50,000 active Dot™ fertility app users finds significant differences between Android and iOS populations.

6.20.2017

“The difference between Android and iOS was surprising to us, and we are interested in exploring it further,” says Leslie Heyer, founder of Cycle Technologies. “Demographic disparities or variations in how we market to each mobile operating system could lead people to use the apps differently.”

by Devin Thorpe, Forbes

5.25.2017

Leslie Heyer, the founder and president of Cycle Technologies, reports that women using her CycleBeads to count the days since their menstrual cycle began have successfully delivered about 1.5 million babies and have avoided about 5 million unwanted pregnancies. Her latest product is an app that she hopes will help even more than the 6 million who have used her beads...

by Leslie Heyer

4.9.2017

If ever there was a moment to challenge U.S. government overreach into women’s healthcare, this is it. Under President Donald Trump, the White House looks set to implement policies that will negatively impact women’s reproductive rights around the world.

by Lisa Nikolau, Humanosphere

4.13.2017

Every year, lack of access to contraception causes about 85 million unplanned pregnancies and a host of negative associated health outcomes. One expert said this global health crisis can be mitigated with apps that allow women to understand and track their fertility.

by Janet Burns, Forbes

2.16.2017

Apps to help women plan or prevent pregnancy have started gaining ground, and with widely promising results. A team of researchers hopes to take their fertility algorithm one big step further toward widespread use with a first-of-its-kind efficacy study on its performance for real women, and in real time.What's this item about? What makes it interesting? Write a catchy description to grab your audience's attention...

by Leslie Heyer

4.26.2017

The ability for a woman to decide if and when she wants to have children changes everything. It gives her greater control over when and whom she will marry, and the ability to invest in herself – to pursue her education and professional opportunities. In short, having access to effective contraception that meets our needs is the foundation to empowering women...

by Gretchen Lidicker

5.10.2017

There's a new kind of birth control on the scene, and it's not an IUD, patch, or pill. It comes—like so many great inventions these days—in the form of an app. And even though cycle monitoring has been practiced for years, these natural family planning (NFP) applications are everywhere right now, growing in popularity and gaining major respect in both the wellness and medical communities...

In an era where women's reproductive health is top of mind, can new and innovative family planning solutions help women obtain contraceptive solutions

3.27.2017

How is technology changing women's health? According to CT Founder, Leslie Heyer, technology innovations are empowering women to take charge of their own reproductive health. ​​Check out Leslie’s live interview with Kristen Scholer and Kori Hale of Cheddar TV as she ​discusses ...

by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Technical.ly DC

2.23.2017

When we first wrote about the Dynamic Optimal Timing app (charmingly known as Dot) in October 2015, the team behind the family-planning helper had determined, via computer modeling, that the app is 97 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. But in order to sustain consumer confidence in app-based pregnancy prevention, Leslie Heyer, ...

by Stephanie Baum, MedCity News

2.16.2017

Fertility applications are among the bestselling healthcare apps Apple and Android have on offer in their app stores. But most of them tend to fall into the direct to consumer digital health category that the AMA likened to “snake oil” last year. Amidst the the push for greater clinical validation of digital health tools, several studies are underway to evaluate how effective these and other apps are to improving healthcare outcomes...

Cycle Technologies Joins Researchers from Georgetown's Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) in Live Teleconference to Discuss Dot App Efficacy Study

2.9.2017

Members of the press were recently invited to a live briefing via teleconference hosted by the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University (IRH) to discuss the Dot contraceptive efficacy study. Dr. Victoria Jennings and Dr. Rebecca Simmons, the lead researchers for the Dot efficacy study at IRH, and Leslie Heyer, founder of Cycle Technologies...

Android Version of the Scientifically Based Dot App Empowers Users to Plan or Prevent Pregnancy by Simply Tracking their Period Start Dates

2.2.2017

Today Cycle Technologies announced the release of the Dot app for Android. The app uses a patent-pending technology called Dynamic Optimal Timing™ (DOT) to accurately identify a woman’s pregnancy risk each day of her cycle by simply tracking her period dates. “There are hundreds of period-tracker apps in the marketplace,” said Leslie Heyer, President and Founder of Cycle Technologies...

by Georgetown University

6.26.2016

​In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center’s Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) are recruiting as many as 1,200 women to study, in real time, a smartphone app that calculates a woman’s chance for pregnancy on a daily basis.The app, called Dot™, (Dynamic Optimal Timing™), was created based on data from several published ...

This High-Tech Birth Control Option is Addressing Unmet Family Planning Need.

10.19.2016

Over 75,000 women in Kenya and Ghana ha ​ ve downloaded the CycleBeads® Android app in the past two months. Approximately half are using the app to prevent pregnancy. In-app surveys indicate that more than 20% of women using the CycleBeads app to prevent pregnancy were not using a contraceptive method prior to using the app. 

12.11.2014

WASHINGTON, DC December 11, 2014 - GBCHealth recognized Cycle Technologies as a top finalist in its 2014 Business Action on Health Awards. The company’s “Solutions for Unmet Need in Family Planning” (SUN-FP) program, which is conducted in partnership with the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at ...