Don’t Make These Common Mistakes Using Your Period App
Period apps are a menstruator’s best friend. I honestly can’t even remember what I did without them. Telling me when I may be PMSing and being able to plan in advance is a life saver. And as a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a women's health coach that specializes in reproductive health and fertility, it is so helpful when my patients use period apps to be able to recall details of their cycle that I can use to more effectively provide treatment.
However, I find that many of my patients are misunderstanding their period apps or using them incorrectly. Below are the most common scenarios I see.
Day 1 of your menstrual cycle is the first day of full flow. But what constitutes a full flow? I typically tell my patients that a full flow would mean anything more than a panty liner’s worth. If you could use just a pantyliner and be fine, then that constitutes just spotting. If you would probably leak with a panty liner, then that would be a full flow day. I see some patients log their period as soon as they see anything - spotting included. However, spotting is actually considered a symptom of your luteal phase (phase between ovulation and your period) of your last menstrual cycle. I’ve had patients come to me saying their period lasts for over a week when really they just have an excessive amount of spotting before their period comes. Long periods and spotting before your cycle are two very different diagnoses and mean very different things. Spotting before your menstrual cycle may be a symptom of endometriosis, malposition of the uterus, or progesterone deficiency.
You don’t always ovulate on day 14. Contrary to what you may have been taught, only 10% of women actually ovulate on day 14 of their menstrual cycles. Ovulation can happen anywhere between days 11-20 of your cycle, or even later if you have infrequent and irregular periods. When your period app is predicting when you are ovulating is really just a general prediction. Your period app can’t tell the future and can’t truly predict when you are going to ovulate. If your period is very regular it may be a more accurate prediction, but there’s still a chance it can vary a day or two per cycle. Not to mention if you’re sick or traveling and your period fluctuates, a late or irregular cycle can throw all of your predictions way off. This can be especially problematic for my patients that are trying to conceive. That’s why I always recommend using other tools for ovulation prediction like LH strips (OPK) and BBT charting.
3. You’re not tracking other symptoms besides menstruation. Period tracking apps are great for tracking other symptoms like breast tenderness, headaches, cramps, mood, or other PMS symptoms. I’ll often ask patients to track some of these signs which leads us to realize that they’re happening at a specific time of the menstrual cycle. From this we can deduce it’s likely hormone related. Knowing what to expect at certain times of the month can be really helpful with planning life and keeping track of how often and how severe certain symptoms are so you can relay this information to a doctor.
When used correctly, period apps can give you a wealth of information about your menstrual cycle and hormone health. Nothing makes me more excited than seeing years of menstrual cycle history or basal body temperature graphs!
Want to learn more about strategies you can use to fix your period problems?
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📞 Book a free 15 minute discovery call to see if we're a good fit to work together.
👩🏻💻 Book a 60-90 min initial consultation where we work 1:1 to dig deep into your health history to figure out the root causes of your period problems. From there I provide you with an individualized treatment plan and consistent support along the way.
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In healing,
Allison
