Why I Like but Not Love Most Cycle Tracking Apps
The very first period-tracking app I downloaded was Alisa Vitti’s MyFlo app after I had my mind blown by her book WomanCode. I loved that it gave me alerts about what phase of my cycle I was in and provided helpful tips about what might make me feel my best during that phase. I think it even had a feature where it would email my partner about what phase I was in so they'd have some insight as to what they could do to support me. It was nice.
And that's how I feel about most period tracking apps, they're nice. Nice for general menstrual cycle awareness, nice if you are starting out learning how to flow with your flow. Which is something all menstruators should have support with. Our hormones make us dynamic and some of our needs shift throughout our cycle. I love that our phones can help us with that learning process.
The one thing I don't like about most cycle tracking apps though (and a decent amount of femmtech), is that they try to predict when you will ovulate.
Many of the apps that market themselves as being able to help you predict when you’ll be ovulating rely on the statistical averages that a cycle is 28 days long and ovulation happens on day 14.
BUT MOST CYCLES ARE NOT EXACTLY 28 DAYS LONG AND OVULATION DOESN'T ALWAYS OCCUR ON DAY 14. HEALTHY CYCLES CAN RANGE FROM 24-36 DAYS LONG AND LOTS OF THINGS CAN AFFECT WHEN OVULATION CAN OCCUR. IN CYCLES, OVULATION OCCURS ANYWHERE FROM DAY 10 - DAY 21!
In 2018, a study was done to see how accurate apps and calendar methods were at predicting ovulation (calendar methods generally use the statistics I mentioned above or your historical cycle data). The results were lackluster.
"The apps predicted the day or days of ovulation with accuracies ranging from 33 to 43%. Many of the apps also identified a fertile window that was commonly 10-16 days long. This is associated with only a 65% probability of including the true day of ovulation."
And as for the calendar methods? Ovulation on day 14 only occurred in 14% of the 768 study volunteers.
No app or piece of tech (outside of an ultrasound machine) that's available now can actually tell you exactly when you're ovulating. They might guess right sometimes, but if you're trying to avoid pregnancy or are excited to start a family, you'd probably prefer better than a guess right?
The best way to determine the beginning and end of your fertile or ovulatory window (so you can avoid or achieve pregnancy is tracking your cervical mucus and using a second and/or third biomarker to help you confirm. And the best apps and femmtech out there are those that allow you to track your own data and mostly discern what's going on for yourself.
SO WHAT APPS WOULD I ACTUALLY RECOMMEND FOR CHARTING YOUR CYCLE?
The Read Your Body App
It's like having a paper chart on your phone! This app’s purpose is data collection, not trying to predict or interpret anything for you. You can customize it so you can match what you're tracking to a particular fertility awareness method if needed. It's a non-profit app and all of the data can stay right on your phone for 100% privacy if you prefer.
The FEMM app
This one is associated with the FEMM method of fertility awareness (which I received my training in) and I'll admit can act a little wonky sometimes. However, it's closer to some of the other cycle-tracking apps on the market and allows you to track any/all of the biomarkers you want. It also does not try to predict when you will ovulate, but gives insights based on the cervical mucus and LH test information you input and will adjust those insights as your cycle progresses. It's also free and they take data privacy very seriously.
Honrable mention - Kindara
This is a very clean interface and like the Read Your Body app, you can see your cycle info in a table format. It also includes a lot of biomarker options already and you are able to add custom fields as well.
Don’t want to use an app at all? Snag one of my customized FAM charts or make your own out of a narrow-lined notebook and enjoy the process of tracking your cycle and watching your patterns unfold on paper. I personally love keeping a paper chart.
If none of those work for you, that’s OK! There are hundreds of apps out there now. Whatever your choose, you want an app that:
Allows you to track your biomarkers like cervical mucus, basal body temp, LH test results, vaginal sensation, etc.
Does not try to predict ovulation for you. (If the app tries to tell you when you will ovulate based on when your period starts and stops or how long previous cycles have been, it's doing you a disservice.)
Allows for customization.
Has a data privacy policy you’re comfortable with.
Makes no claims that it “can evaluate your fertility” for you. That’s marketing jargon.
(And products like Natural Cycles that simply use your basal body temperature and do the predicting for you aren’t great either. In the case of Natural Cycles, basal body temperature should only be used to confirm ovulation, not predict it.)
Most apps out there are wonderful for general menstrual cycle awareness. Most apps are currently not set up to be utilized for fertility awareness, meaning specifically tracking your cycle signs and biomarkers to help you avoid or achieve pregnancy.
Menstrual cycle awareness and fertility awareness are two different things. They are both important and I think they should be used together (since it's your body that helps to determine the phases of your cycle) but if you're trying to prevent pregnancy naturally or increase your chances of conceiving, you'll be better served to learn a fertility awareness method, start tracking your cycle biomarkers and become well versed in your body.
Ready for an intro to FAM and some help getting started? Sign up to get my free Get Started with FAM Class.
Get Started with the Fertility Awareness Method
Are you considering transitioning off synthetic birth control? Are you already tracking the days of your period, but want to know more about what happens during the other phases? Are you curious about fertility awareness methods and how they work?
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