What are they?

Period trackers are digital tools for your smartphone/tablet that help you keep track of your menstrual cycle and symptoms based on information you input such as:

Cycle: You enter the start and end dates for your period (bleeding) each month. The app remembers these dates and predicts when you next period will start.

Symptoms: You can use the app to record how you feel during different times of the menstrual cycle, including your menstruation bleed, physical symptoms such as sore breasts or cramps, and changes in energy and mood.  

Why they’re useful

Period tracker apps offer several benefits that can enhance your understanding and management of your menstrual health:

• Planning ahead: Knowing when your period is likely to start allows you to plan accordingly, whether it’s for an event, travel, or daily activities.

• Identifying patterns: Tracking symptoms like blood flow, cramps, mood swings, and energy levels helps you identify patterns over time, providing insights into your menstrual health.

• Understanding hormones: By tracking your cycle, you can understand how changing hormones cause different effects in your body as it moves through the four phases of menstruation: Menstruation, Follicular, Ovulation, and Luteal. (See "Understanding the Phases of Menstruation" for more detail below).

• Medical insights: The information collected can be shared with healthcare professionals if needed, offering valuable insights into your menstrual health.

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A note on privacy: Reputable period tracking apps prioritise the privacy and security of your data, ensuring your personal health information is protected.

Types of period tracker apps

There are a range of different types of period tracker apps to choose from that can be downloaded onto a Smartphone, including free ones such as: 

• Clue Period & Cycle Tracker (available on the App Store and Google Play)

• Period Tracker - U by Kotex (available on the App Store only)

• Flo - Period Tracker (available on the App Store and Google Play, (includes predictions about ovulation too)

TPP Team favourites

Our intern Hannah’s personal favourite is the period tracker component of the iPhone health app.

“I love this. Like other apps, it allows me to track when my period begins and ends, the level of flow per day, and other symptoms such as breast pain, bloating, dry skin and fatigue. As well as this, it takes into account other factors that may affect my period, such as the contraceptive pill.  I love that the app generates a history of past cycles and provides an estimate of my typical period and cycle lengths. When I get a notification that my period is due to start, I know to prepare and ensure I stock up on products.  I like that there’s an option for those who want to track and learn about their fertile windows too and that it includes educational resources to learn more about menstrual cycles, the role of fertility and ovulation, and the factors that can impact the timing, flow, and other aspects of a period.”

 **Please note: These period tracker apps only provide estimations of when your period will begin, they are not accurate predictions! These estimations increase in precision the more that you record your cycles, but they cannot be solely relied upon!