An app for the modern woman
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
No woman likes getting their period. Itâs an awful time filled with pain, sweatpants, and the desire to punch everyone you see in the faceâespecially if they assume your desire to do so is specifically linked to the fact you are on your period. Itâs a weird system. I didnât make it up. Thatâs just the way it is. Fortunately, managing your period has become a little bit easier thanks to the modern, technology-driven age. Of course, Iâm talking about a smartphone app!
My Cycles by MedHelp allows you to keep track of your symptoms, moods, flow, etc., while on your period. The app uses this information to predict when your next ovulation cycle and period cycle will begin based off of the timing of your previous ones. It also warns you about what symptoms you might have if certain ones are especially common during your menses. Speaking of symptoms, thereâs an option that allows you to keep track of what medication you took and whether it was successful, meaning you wonât be expected to remember what types of aspirin or ibuprofen are the ones you can take, and which ones just make you feel nauseous and cranky.
My favourite aspect of the app is how simple it is. I hate things that try and overly feminize the menstrual experienceâI mean, come on? When I have my period I donât need shallow attempts at reminding me how great it is to be a woman, or references to my uterus being a flower (Iâm looking at you, tampon ads). I need a simple, discreet pop up on my phone that says âOh, by the way, expect your period in the next couple days,â so I can plan accordingly.
This app caters to that desire for simplicity by having a customizable design, calendar function, countdown clock, colour-coded cycle warnings, reference guide, and summary analysis page, and just being in general very user friendly. Reviews online also state that the response times for the appâs customer support is incredibly fast, which is always nice. And those pop-up messages about your period? Yeah, they also have them for when you should expect your ovulation cycleâwhich I didnât even think about until after I got this app. Apparently, your ovulation cycle can also affect your moods, sex drive, and fatigue level, so itâs worth it to keep track of it as well. Being aware of your ovulation cycle is also beneficial if youâre looking to get pregnant, or wanting to make sure you avoid it.
So you may be asking yourself how much this app costs. Thatâs the best partâthe app is entirely free on both Android and iOS! The app wasnât created to make money, but simply as a tool to help maintain feminine health and wellness, and also to help women better recognize when there is an abnormality within their cycle that they should see a doctor about.
