ISO a useful period-tracking app

December 10, 2012 12:52 PM

Can you recommend a useful menstrual cycle tracking app for Android? The few I've tried so far are either so basic as to not be worth the trouble (I can mark "Start Period" and "End Period" on my own calendar) or geared more toward fertility tracking, which isn't applicable. Requirements inside.

In addition to tracking menstrual bleeding (and the app being able to learn my decidedly non-textbook cycle rather than breaking because it isn't 28 days long), I'd like to be able to track:

-Flow (light, moderate, heavy)
-Pre-menstrual symptoms (cramps, breast soreness, moodiness)
-Spotting/breakthrough/off-cycle bleeding

Plenty of apps have a Notes section where I could write this info down, but ideally I'd be able to check a tickybox and have some sort of indication for that symptom show up on the calendar view.

Bonus points if there's some way to save the data when I switch phones.

Does this or something close to it exist? I'm happy to pay for a good app.

posted by rhiannonstone to Computers & Internet (14 answers total)

I use Period Tracker.
posted by royalsong at 1:03 PM on December 10, 2012

iPeriod. The free one will let you track some of that, but their paid app does it all. Also-- it learns your cycle and predicts when and for how long the next one will occur. Not sure that it works for Android, but it's worth checking out.
posted by Temeraria at 1:03 PM on December 10, 2012

FertilityFriend is amazing.
posted by grrlaction at 1:24 PM on December 10, 2012

Best answer: I use womanlog, although it functions as a fertility tracker there's loads of ticky boxes for tracking other symptoms, calendar view, weight tracker, notifications.. and even themes
posted by sarahdal at 1:34 PM on December 10, 2012

I also use Period Tracker. It comes with a nice widget that displays the number of days until your next period that you can put on your home screen (and doesn't make it obvious that's what the countdown is--it could just be the number of unread notifications for some random app).
posted by ethidda at 1:34 PM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Womanlog - has free backup of data to their servers, very handy if you're switching phones or plan to install custom ROMs frequently.
posted by longdaysjourney at 1:43 PM on December 10, 2012

I'll fourth Pink Pad (Period Tracker). When I had periods, I pretty much relied on the iOS version to get myself ready for my unreal PMDD.
posted by houseofdanie at 1:48 PM on December 10, 2012

I've used Ovuview and really liked it. It's a fertility tracking app, but you can also switch it to a simpler, period-tracking-only mode.
posted by Skybly at 1:49 PM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Seconding Ovuview. I love it, and their app support is fantastic. When I paid for the full version and there was a problem with my app updating correctly, after a ton of help (which unfortunately didn't solve the problem), one of the app writers just emailed me the full version and refused any payment. The free version is great, and it's visually really pleasing.
posted by catch as catch can at 2:11 PM on December 10, 2012

Best answer: Ovuview is excellent. It's just as thorough as you want it to be, which is to say if you'd like to use it as a simple period-tracking app, it's just fine for that. If you want to track cycle-related things like back aches, irritability, general health, cervical fluid, protected/unprotected sex, sex drive, or about twenty other things, you can. If you have any questions or comments, they'll write back to you almost immediately. It's also the most aesthetically simple and intuitive period-tracker I've used, yet with no compromise on detail or complexity.
posted by tapir-whorf at 3:21 PM on December 10, 2012

Best answer: I came in here to recommend Pink Pad as well - and if you get the pro version you can actually customize the symptoms that can be tracked (although there an awful lot included).
posted by scrute at 4:47 PM on December 10, 2012

I've been happy with MyCalendar.
posted by mudpuppie at 6:18 PM on December 10, 2012

Best answer: Another vote for Ovuview, which I've used as a fertility tracker, period tracker, and countdown-to-birth tracker, and it was great as all three.

If you're not willing to go full-on girly-cutesy, avoid Pink Pad--I downloaded it and about broke out in hives. It felt really juvenile and hokey. I really wanted to like it, but the interface ended up being a dealbreaker for me.
posted by MeghanC at 9:30 PM on December 10, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I've installed Pink Pad, Period Tracker, and Ovuview, and so far they all look to have exactly what I want re: symptom tracking, especially being able to add custom symptoms with the paid version. Pink Pad was kinda painful to look at, though, so it's out. I'll test the other two for a couple of cycles and see what sticks.
posted by rhiannonstone at 11:52 PM on December 10, 2012