Ever since menstruation is considered ‘the fifth vital sign‘, tracking your menstrual cycle has been en vogue. After all, periods aren’t only about fertility. They also provide lots of important information about your basic health. Hence the fifth vital sign, in addition to the four well-known ones that medical professionals already monitor: body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure. Free and easy to use, an app seems the logical choice if you want to chart your cycle. But more and more criticasters are now warning you to be careful with period tracking apps. Including even the White House. What’s app?

Why should you track your cycle?

Tracking your menstrual cycle isn’t only wise if you want to monitor your health or become pregnant, it’s also the thing to do if you want to live your life to the max. For example: if you want to improve your (athletic) performance. This is logical. Your cycle is controlled by hormones. If you don’t notice their influence during the month, those hormones probably don’t work the way they should. Knowledge about the impact of the four different phases or ‘seasons’ of your cycle is therefore something you can really benefit from. It’s a smart way to reclaim your ‘(period) power‘. In every menstrual phase, you function a bit differently. The best proof for this lies in these three letters: PMS. Indeed, the phase when most menstruators feel the least comfortable.

Warning from the White House

So, tracking your cycle can come in handy. It’s also a great way to prepare for a GP visit if you’re suffering from menstrual complaints. An app on your mobile phone seems to be the appropriate tool for this menstrual tracking. After all, you already look at your screen 58 times a day, study shows. In the apps store there’s an enormous offer of period tracking apps, all of them completely free of charge. It’s nowadays even possible to monitor your cycle via WhatsApp. However: more and more criticasters – including the American White House – are now warning against those cycle trackers, saying people should be especially careful when using them. Some even recommend deleting all your data. Already one period tracking app (Flo) has released an ‘anonymous Mode’, which lets people use the app without linking their data to their name, email address or IP address. Why?

Keeping track of new laws and regulations…

You’ve probably already guessed this: following the Unites States Supreme Court decision on ‘Roe versus Wade’, American states can decide independently whether to criminalise abortion. In case of a criminal lawsuit, the data from a menstrual app can be used as evidence. Logical: just like a fertility tracker, such an app keeps track of your menstruation and ovulation, and notices deviating patterns. Good to know: you leave lots of digital traces on a daily basis anyhow; even if you don’t use a menstrual app. Besides: there are more places in the world where you need to be careful if you seek an abortion. See for yourself at this world map from reproductiverights.org.

Time to (re)consider your digital security

In the Netherlands (where Period! is based) and most other European countries the chance that data from your menstrual app will be used in a criminal case is less than zero. The mandatory five-day waiting period for abortions has recently been abolished in the Netherlands. The European Parliament wants to safeguard the right to a safe and legal abortion in all European countries. Still, this might be a good time to (re)consider your digital security. After all, period trackers aren’t the only apps that map your behaviour 24/7. Everything you do, eat, drink, read, order, the roads you travel and the friends you have: the information you provide to technical platforms is gold for these companies. This is literally how these platforms make money. Research from non-profit Mozilla on more than 20 menstrual and pregnancy apps found that the majority collected large amounts of personal data and shared it with third parties.

Track your cycle: online or offline?

Apps are really useful. We can’t manage without them. No worries: there’s no need to immediately throw out your smartphone and switch back to an old-fashioned Nokia that only allows you to make telephone calls. But do take a critical look at who you share your most intimate information with. Which companies are behind all those free apps? You could consider using an app that’s created in collaboration with a university, in case you suffer from endometriosis or PMDD. You could even choose to track your cycle the old-fashioned way: offline, we mean. For example, by using a menstrual score card or a paper menstrual diary. Make your own diary or mark your school/work calendar with emoticons. Be creative! There are even cute stickers for this.

Period! is an independent, online magazine about all aspects of menstruation. Period! is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you’re suffering from medical complaints, always visit your doctor or GP. Editorial articles can contain affiliate links. Sponsored collaborations can be found in the category Spotlight. Do you have any questions? Check our Contact page.

LATEST UPDATE: 19-9-2022

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