Samsung to integrate Swedish fertility health tech into Galaxy Watch5

Samsung has partnered with Swedish startup Natural Cycles to integrate its fertility health tech into the Galaxy Watch5 series.

Natural Cycles developed a certified Class 2 health app that uses body temperature and other important fertility indicators to determine fertility status. This app can either help women plan or prevent pregnancy.

Co-founder Elina Berglund told Forbes that the app had received regulatory approval to integrate with third-party wearables. So far, Natural Cycles’ tech has been integrated into Oura Ring, a smart health ring.

Natural Cycles’ tech will be available in the Galaxy Watch5 series as the smartwatch’s Cycle Tracking feature. This version of the series will be sold in 32 markets, including Sweden and South Korea. It marks the first time the fertility app is being adapted for a smartwatch.

Samsung vice president and digital health chief Hon Pak explained that the partnership shows Samsung’s commitment to promoting better health experiences for its users.

Samsung said users’ health data would be encrypted and stored on their own devices, which offers the user more control over their privacy. South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) already approved the Cycle Tracking feature, while approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still pending.

Natural Cycles’ other co-founder, Raoul Scherwitzl, said the partnership with Samsung proves that the women’s health sector can survive despite the tough macroeconomic situation last year.

“I had concerns that women’s health innovation could suffer a setback but with the growth we have seen at the company – as well as the support we’re seeing from partners like Samsung – it’s evident that’s not the case,” Scherwitzl said.

Samsung’s entrance into the women’s health market is relatively late. Its competitor, Apple, had started to expand its women’s health products by 2015.

Following the announcement, Natural Cycles, which was founded in 2013, also reported a successful Samsung-led funding round worth €6.5 million ($7 million). Some of Natural Cycles’ existing investors, like Heartcore Capital and Headline, also contributed to the fundraising.