What are the best cycle-tracking apps?
For many women who are dealing with fertility struggles, tracking their cycle is the first step in figuring out if there are any irregularities. Tracking your cycle helps you predict when you ovulate and for how long. Cycle tracking helps women conceive whether they have experienced infertility or not. Instead of tracking your cycle on a calendar, you can now use a variety of apps that prompt you to give information about your cycle daily.
How do cycle-tracking apps work?
These apps store your information and analyze it to give you the best prediction for your next cycle. Cycle tracking apps look at your previous periods, sleep patterns, heart rate, basal body temperature, and cervical fluid to determine the stages of your cycle. If you enter this data into the app consistently and accurately after a few months the app will be able to give a good prediction of when you will ovulate and when you will have your period. The typical range of a menstrual cycle is between 26 and 32 days. Cycle tracking apps help you see how long your cycle is and whether it is irregular. An irregular cycle doesn’t mean that you will have issues with fertility, but it is something you can discuss with your doctor. Many women enjoy tracking their menstrual cycles and gaining a better understanding of their menstrual cycle. [1]
Which app should you choose?
There are so many cycle-tracking apps to choose from that it can be challenging to choose which is the best for you. Looking for a widely used app with good reviews is never a bad idea. Some free cycle-tracking apps you may want to try are:
- Flo: With this app, you can track your menstrual flow, discharge, mood, and sex drive. This app uses artificial intelligence to track your cycle.
- Clue: Clue allows you to track your period, mood, exercise, and general health.
- My Calendar: This app has customizable features such as how you are reminded, units of measurement, and the layout of the app. This app tracks your regular and irregular periods, menstrual flow, symptoms, moods, medication, and temperature.
- Glow: Glow is a very all-encompassing app. With this app, you can record your period symptoms, more than 40 health symptoms, and your menstrual and fertility data.
- Eve: Another great app that allows you to track many things revolving around your cycle. This app provides daily information, quizzes, and women’s health educational advice. [2]
Is it safe for a cycle-tracking app to have your health data?
This has become a recent concern for many, as cycle tracking apps do not have privacy laws as your doctor does. Some apps may sell your information. To prevent this you should look carefully at your app's privacy policy. You can also typically adjust your settings in the app to ensure that your information is private. For many, the data they put on these apps isn’t a concern if it is sold for marketing purposes or other reasons. Some people would like their information to remain secure and private to them. If this concerns you, reading the user agreement policy and privacy policy on your chosen cycle tracking app is important. Whether you are concerned about this information or not, it is good to be informed about where your health data is going. [3]
Sources:
2 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320758#best-period-tracking-apps
3 https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-safe-are-period-trackers-in-a-post-roe-world-5323439
