A PCOS Girl's Guide to Period Tracker Apps
I have had a phone by my side and in my hand for years now, since the age of 13. In today's day and age, that even seems old, but it was the age I received my first phone. I have been menstruating since age 11, and tracking since perhaps, my junior year of high school. Throughout all these years, I have dealt with acne, poor body image, and semi-irregular menstruation. What was a fun way to track how my body felt, prevent (or now, PREPARE!) for pregnancy, now sort of consumes my entire life, right next to that handy MyFitnessPal app in my health tab. From traditional apps like FLO, built in trackers like Apple Health, and then Clue, these apps help me deal and manage my symptoms with hidden perks.
Flo
Flo was ideally my first app, I have used logged and documented everything from my sexcapades, crippling moodswings, and now more sensitive subjects such as ovulation and vaginal discharge. I will admit, at that age I wasn't perfect at logging everything, and while it tries to reprogram the predicted period and ovulation based on your latest previous cycle (Not good for PCOS Girlies!), it holds the secrets to my confusing and moody reproductive system. The Flo App is actually the first app that merely suggested my irregular cycle patterns may present PCOS, of course with me brushing it aside, as my periods would become and stay consistent and regular as I went along. While it does notify you of cycle patterns and keeps data of every cycle, as with many apps, menstural trackers or not, there is a monthly fee to the added insights and help they offer. I paid for it for a month, it is a neat feature, but even to me, not even worth it.
Some extra features with the Flo app are the different modes, changing from normal period tracking, optimizing your chance of pregnancy, and to track your pregnancy. With each cycle tracked, I'd say Flo becomes somewhat more accurate. My personal PCOS journey is due to weight flunctuations. I have ovulated and have had periods semi regularly my entire life, until this year unfortunately. I have had (a guestimate, as you are unsure if you ovulate every cycle.) one to two ovulatory cycles. Sometimes it just isn't about becoming pregnant, as it is extremely unhealthy to go 3-4 months without a period, natural or medically induced. It is better for your body to have a period, from my personal stance, and Flo will be there to remind you how abnormal your cycle trends are, and what they mean.
I would give Flo a 8/10, and I find it very PCOS friendly!
Stardust
Stardust is the second app I have ever used, as I remember ads on Facebook & TikTok. Stardust is a period tracking app for the spiritual gals, although many of the quirks are added for fun. Based on your cycle type (the periods in which your experience ovulation and menstruation) you are organized a specific witch type with some insight on yourself, and yes, mine changes all the time due to spontaneous ovulation and delayed menstruation. So again, just for fun. Although Stardust will organize you into a percentage group based on your witch group. Despite the overall quirkiness of the app, there is a neat little wheel lined with each day of your cycle and the corresponding predicted phase, with differing colors. The app works to highlight your ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phases. Unlike Flo and other apps, it will simply tell you your cycle day and each month has the same predicted ovulation and menstrual pattern.
The app does not have any mode to help enhance pregnancy chances, although you can still log your pregnancy test and ovulation test, although you can only log one type of ovulation test result, and you cannot log both a pregnancy and ovulation test. This seems like it would be common knowledge, but when you have gone a couple months without a period, or there are conflicting hormonal signs, sometimes you just gotta multitask! The app will also let you know upon opening that your period is late, but it doesn't bombard you with texts or digital guides about PCOS, Endo, etc, so I always preferred Flo, and even deleted Stardust at one point in time.
The app seems to be difficult to toggle, with Flo you can change your ovulatory prediction and tracking by logging tests. Upon logging a test, your little blue days will shift. Stardust does not let you do this, whether you log a test at all. The app has a quirky spiritual theme, but a bit too spiritual, that it appears to try to be more in tune with your body than you. Although certain antibiotic usage and normal PCOS irregularities make ovulation hard to predict, with the help of tests and being in tune with discharge changes, I hate how I can't toggle ovulation and menstruall dates.
Throughout the updates and expansions, the Stardust app lets you mark many symptoms and changes throughout your cycle phases, log exercise, and even log cycle stressors such as trauma, stress, and even travel. Perhaps my favorite feature is the ability to log marijuana, adderal, alcohol, or even psychedelic usage. although it does not document any trends or reports to your cycle if you continiously log these potential cycle disruptions or health changes, so you'll have to make some assertions yourself. I really applaud them for adding a stimulant and marijuana (which is so common nowadays next to alcohol).
Overall, I would give the Stardust a 6/10. This is a very fun and creative app, but I am not counting on it for any particular cycle or health related insights, so personally for me, it is merely for fun. Perhaps with time the app will continue to expand and add more observatory features and cycle tracking insights. It is not really PCOS friendly, as it doesn't seem to work or move around or put effort into altering any cycle predictions. It is set in stone until of course you log your menstrual period yourself.
Clue
The Clue app works to give you (somewhat) of a Clue about your ever so changing menstural cycle. Like Flo, it attempts to move your cycle patterns to fit current trends and give a prediction of ovulation. I must admit, I am a new user to Clue, and I have logged ovulation tests (just pregmate LH strips for now, I did out of curiosity) but they were all negative, and I am not exactly sure if the ovulation time moves with you and I have not done a false log as I do not want to risk messing up my cycle, but it is much more customizable than Stardust, although a lot of features I feel would benefit those suffering from PCOS, are locked behind a pesky monthly paywall, one that is very tempting at that.
Similar to Stardust, Clue is complete with a wheel that you can spin through and observe your different cycle phases. Red representing the dreaded (or if you have PCOS, the heavily missed, long anticipated) arrival of aunt flow, or a nice crisp blue part of the ring signaling potential ovulatory days, With the Clue app, you can log exercise, and potential cycle stressors such as alcohol, cigarettes, or even simply being hungover. However, no specific medications such as Adderal, Concerta, or anything else mental health related, You have the ability to log medications such as HRT (Hormone Therapy), OTC/Prescribed Painkillers, allergy meds, antibiotics, cold and flu meds, the morning after pill, and different hormone therapy pills, such as estrogen, progesterone, and testerone. Cycle Stressors under the "Ailments" tab can also be logged, ranging from a simple cold, to UTI's and STI's. It seems to be the only tracker to log all forms of birth control and administration dates, the a simple pill, to the IUD. They offer insights into the birth control ring, implant and patch. I feel this is a very neat feature to offer, as birth control & clomid are ready to be prescribed to women dealing with PCOS, with birth control being pushed extremely heavily.
Like other apps, you can log both pregnancy and ovulation tests, but there is no built in LH strip analyzer, you simply make your own evaluation and click positive, or negative. Although there seems to be no cycle trends and specific insights, you are able to log differing appointments in regards to your health, and trust me, I have a lot of those. You digestive data, hair texture, skin concerns and a daily analysis of your social life and mood can also all be logged and tracked underneath their specific tab. There is a tab to check your discharge, but in comparison to other apps like Flo, there are only four different discharge textures displayed, and the app doesn't explictly state whether they are in regards to ovulation or not. Behind the paywall and subscription service, you can log pregnancy experiences, your journey into menopause, vulvar feelings, urine changes, breast changes, and the daily supplements you take.
Clue is a very well thought of app with unique analysis to your cycle and potential stressors to said menstrual period, whether you suffer from PCOS or not. I really look forward to growing with this app more and making sure to continously log and track everything However, it would appear as if all the good PCOS-centered features, like the supplements tab are locked behind a monthly subscription. I would have to give Clue a 7.5 out of ten, very user accesesible with in-depth symptom and data tabs, but everything else helpful is behind that damn pay wall!
Apple's Health App
From my Macbook air to my iphone, I'm pretty much Apple-pilled. However, no Apple watch over here. I just have a cheap fitbit to help me along with more insights into my fitness journey. So the cycle tracking feature that was added in the health data tab is damn near the only thing I use. I know Apple has a specific knack for simplicity and smooth easy accessible apps and services, but the menstural tracking is a bit lacking. It is actually on-par with Fitbi's Menstrual tracker that is horribly laid out. I find myself even forgetting to log any symptoms, as if you simply hit "No Flow", and close, nothing will show you even logged that day. Now Apple, you know damn well I'm not having debilitating symptoms everyday. You simply click if your period began or not, you go through a generalized symptom list that contains slight issues like acne, to fatigue and hair-loss. You can log an ovulation test result, a progesterone test result (the only unique feature), a pregnancy test result, the quality and state of your cervical mucus, and your potentially changing basal body temperature. That is is really, and it is good for what it is, while also trying to be more by offering different testing tabs. Based on my current cycle that I am supplementing with Progestin, Apple's calendar was actually the MOST off.
I give Apple Health's tracker a very simple 3/10.
Last but not least, we have the Pregmate app, to partner with their ovulation and pregnancy testing strips. Their testing methods are just simply buy-in-bulk strips found at your local CVS, but for some in the TTC community are a tried and true cheap and easy method for either getting pregnant, or general cycle tracking. The app however, is not cheap at all, and is actually similar to Flo in looks and design. It pretty much has all the same logging features that Flo does, and it seems to be damn near identical. Although they push for you to download the app and log photos of your ovulation and pregnancy strips, there isn't anything particularly special about said app, but nothing bad either. I have not used this app, but I don't think it is one I could depend on personally for managing and tracking my current PCOS symptoms and journey, but defintely fun for those looking to actively concieve.
I would give the Pregmate app a 5/10. Very user friendly and an encouraging way to get pregnant, but as the name would suggest, it does not give very detailed hormonal insights.
