Apple Health help

May 25, 2018 11:04 AM

Will someone please explain to me how to use Apple Health to track my menstrual cycle?

So I'm playing around with Apple Health - the Reproductive Health section. I click Menstruation, then click the + sign and add a new event by choosing a type of flow and "Start of Cycle" = yes. Ok, now what? How do I record the end of my cycle? How do I tell it how long my cycle is, so it can predict my next period? What exactly does Apple Health offer here?

I've tried googling and searching through Apple support, can't seem to find enough detail.

posted by yawper to Technology (6 answers total)

Best answer: You've got it right for the first day of your cycle. You repeat that for every subsequent day, but choose No for Start of Cycle. Once you stop entering data, it assumes that cycle has ended. It estimates the length of your period using data you've already given it -- so it will be a little inaccurate at first, but get more and more accurate as it gets more and more data. Does that make sense?

If you're not committed to AppleHealth, though, are you open to trying Clue? It's miles better in terms of ease-of-use and number of variables you can track.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 11:25 AM on May 25, 2018 [5 favorites]

Best answer: (Oh, and Clue can sync up with Apple Health, in case that's a valuable function for you!)
posted by schroedingersgirl at 11:25 AM on May 25, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Seconding Clue.
posted by OrangeVelour at 11:47 AM on May 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Third Clue. You can track many more variables and it sends alerts for things like PMS, best time for breast health checks, as well as start of period.
posted by assenav at 11:52 AM on May 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I like Spot On, which is developed by planned parenthood and was recommended to me here. Apple Health's tracker is lousy and I'd bet serious cash didn't involve anyone with a menstrual cycle during development.
posted by john_snow at 1:15 PM on May 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: The basic idea behind any period tracker app is that you never have to tell it when your cycle ends or how long it is. You just have to tell it what exactly is happening on each day and it uses that information to tell YOU when your cycle is over and how long it is and when it’s coming back. The value is that it can then predict what’s coming next so when you’re feeling a little not great you can look at the app and say “Ah. That’s why.”
posted by bleep at 2:11 PM on May 25, 2018