Having your period can really suck from time to time. And although it feels a bit anti-feminist to admit that PMS may be the cause of a few ‚female issues‘, the fact is hormones can make you do crazy things. This was my main motivation to try keeping track of my own cycle…. This week we invite Janice Schuurman, projectmanager at W.Green and member of the Yoni family to share her view on period apps.
A few months‘ into the tracking now I’ve found it’s given me some pretty revealing insights. What makes this whole period tracking thing a bit tricky, is that the symptoms or signs change a lot and it’s hard to figure out which symptoms are affecting what. To find out how best (and most accurately) to monitor my period I dove into the (sometimes very ugly) world of period tracker apps.
As time (and periods) passed I’m now ready to share my 3 favorites with you.
The first (and my favorite) is the period app called Clue. Call me a girl, but it was love on first sight because of its aesthetically correct looks. Or, to put it in a different way, you don’t need to be ashamed when a notification pops up on your screen.
So more about Clue… it tracks not only your period and ovulation. You can also add and track extra features like what your skin looks like, levels of pain, your mood and sexual activity. Clue uses an algorithm to calculate and predict your own unique cycle, which means that the more you use it, the more accurate it gets.
My second choice would be Glow. Glow makes tracking and predicting your cycle a walk in the park (I’m guessing the main reason why the app won the 2014 Webby Award for Best Health & Fitness App). The app is an all-in-one tracker for your ovulation and fertility. It also gives you handy notifications when it’s time for you to take your birth control and other meds.
The P Tracker app would be a third choice. The app isn’t as simple as Clue or Glow but, once you figure it out, it provides you an in-depth analysis of your cycle. Like Clue it has the option to add your own symptoms to its list of common menstruation side effects and it also has a fertility tracking aspect (you can even track your temperature and fluids!). The reminders are great too. You can personalize these to say whatever you want.
Conclusion: if you’re a nerd like me and love to keep track of the evolution of things (statistics – love it!), these 3 options are the best.
Cover photo by Ine and Sanne
