Why you should track your period and the best ways to do it

• To track your period, note how long it lasts, symptoms, how heavy it is, and discharge.
• The best way to track your period is with apps, like Flo or MagicGirl, a calendar, or a notebook.
• By tracking your period you can spot irregularities, predict ovulation, and prepare for PMS.

Tracking your period can be a useful tool for understanding your menstrual cycle, knowing when you're most fertile, and noting irregularities that could indicate a serious underlying condition.

Since there are many different methods to choose from when tracking your period, it can be hard to know where to start if you've never done it before. Here's a look at how to track your period and why it matters.

How to track your period

To track your period you can use a variety of methods both old-school and digital. No method is necessarily better than the other - as long as it works for you.

Here are some ways to keep tabs on your flow:

• Use a calendar to mark the start and end dates of your period
• Write the dates down in a notebook or post-it note
• Keep a record in the notes app of your phone
• Use a period tracking app

In addition to tracking the start and end dates of your period, you may also want to take note of other symptoms and when they occur, including:

• How heavy your bleeding is
• Physical symptoms, like fatigue, headaches, cramping, and bloating
• Mood swings, which affect 30% to 80% of people who menstruate
• Consistency of your vaginal discharge, like if it's watery, thick, or sticky

After about three or four months of tracking your period and symptoms, you may start to notice patterns that can help you predict the timing of your next menstruation, says Sophia Yen, MD, CEO and co-founder of Pandia Health, a birth control delivery service.

Best period tracking apps

If you're someone who prefers the digital route to pen-and-paper, you may want to try a period tracking app. With so many apps available it can be overwhelming to decide which is right for you. Here is a list compiled by our Reviews team on the best period tracking apps:

• Flo, voted the best overall period tracking app by our Reviews team. It offers a variety of useful information about your cycle and overall health, features a user chat function, and includes educational input from over 80 experts.
• Natural Cycles, an FDA-approved birth control app that uses your daily temperature readings and period data to predict fertile windows - and it can be a useful companion for insight into your cycle.
• MagicGirl, which is designed for teens and provides educational videos and a diary to keep track of how you feel.
• Life Period Tracker Calendar, is designed for those with irregular cycles and patterns who can then present the information to their doctors.
• Clue, which offers an extensive selection of tracking categories, has an easy-to-use interface, and is entirely gender-neutral.

Benefits of tracking your period

Everyone is different and no two cycles are exactly the same. Keeping track of yours can help you better understand your body's unique rhythm and help you identify issues that may need medical intervention. Tracking your period can:

• Provide a timeline of your menstrual cycle. Only about 13% of menstruating people have a menstrual cycle that lasts the typical 28 days. Therefore, most people's cycles fall somewhere between 21 to 35 days. Tracking your period can help you determine your flow's own unique timeline.
• Identify potential health complications. Irregular cycles that are shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days may indicate an underlying issue, like a thyroid condition or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If you regularly experience cycles that are shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days, or you miss your period for more than three months in a row, consult with your doctor, Yen says.
• Help determine when you're ovulating. Ovulation - when your ovaries release an egg - typically occurs between 10 and 14 days after you start your period, and determines when you are most fertile. While ovulation only lasts one day, you may be fertile for three to five days beforehand since sperm can live inside your body for a few days.
• Monitor how heavy and painful your flow is. Extremely heavy and painful periods that cause you to miss school or work may also indicate a health problem, like endometriosis. Additionally, knowing how heavy or light your period is ensures you have the appropriate hygiene products for your flow.
• Help you prepare for PMS symptoms like mood swings, headaches, or fatigue. Knowing when to expect these symptoms can help you plan ways to ease them, like making sure you have OTC pain relievers or tweaking your diet, says Huong Nghiem-Eilbeck, MD, an OB-GYN with AltaMed Health Services.

Warning: Tracking your period may help determine when you are most fertile, but it's not a foolproof way to prevent pregnancy as stress or weight fluctuations may alter when you ovulate. It also won't protect against STIs. Therefore, Yen urges those tracking their period to still use a condom or other form of birth control.

Insider's takeaway

Tracking your period, like with an app or on a calendar, can offer valuable insight about your health, such as when you are most fertile or whether your cycle is irregular.

Understanding this can help you better predict your next period and help you identify symptoms that may warrant a discussion with your health care provider.

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