Period-tracking app
Period-tracking apps are mobile applications used to track the menstrual cycle. They may be used to predict menstruation, to plan fertility, and to track health. Examples include Clue and Flo.
Function
[edit]Users enter their dates of menstruation, and frequently other experiences such as vaginal discharge and spotting; premenstrual syndrome; changes in mood; menstrual cramps and other pain; and other symptoms such as appetite changes, bloating, and acne. The apps predict the date of users' next period, and often also their ovulation and fertile window.[1][2][3]
Some apps have additional features such as contraceptive reminders, educational content, tracking modes for use during pregnancy, or the ability to share one's cycle data with a partner.[1][2]
Privacy
[edit]Period-tracking apps collect personal health data, potentially raising concerns about privacy. Researchers have warned that data may be transferred to third parties and used for consumer profiling and targeted advertising, used for employment and health insurance discrimination, or used to prosecute users for seeking abortions.[4]
After the 2022 decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, and the bans and restrictions on abortion in many US states that followed, many American women uninstalled the apps amidst fear that the data could be accessed by law enforcement and used to prosecute users.[5][6][7] WIRED published a ranking of several period-tracking apps by data privacy.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Bradley, Sarah; Bacharach, Elizabeth; Martens, Ashley; Spanfeller, Jamie (28 November 2023). "These Period Tracker Apps Are The Best And Safest Ones To Use Right Now". Women's Health. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ a b Cohen, Marisa (27 February 2020). "7 Best Apps to Help You Track Your Period Easily". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Low, Luisa (2 October 2024). "Can you trust your period-tracking app?". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Gregory, Andrew (10 June 2025). "Public health bodies urged to launch period tracking apps to protect data". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Garamvolgyi, Flora (28 June 2022). "Why US women are deleting their period tracking apps". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ McCallum, Shiona; Singleton, Tom (15 May 2024). "Period trackers 'coercing' women into sharing risky information". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Key, Kim (23 January 2025). "It's Time to Delete Your Period Tracker and Use One of These Alternatives". PCMAG. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Poli, Kristen. "The Most Popular Period-Tracking Apps, Ranked by Data Privacy". Wired. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2025.