Period tracking app for irregular, long period and cycle lengths

September 12, 2015 11:11 AM

I am looking for an Android app (free or paid) for tracking my menstrual periods. I would like an app that will accept (and show on the calendar) periods lasting over a week, with variable period and cycle lengths.

I have tried My Calendar and P Tracker, but cannot find a way in either app to show that my period lasts for over a week.

I have tried to put an actual end date for my period in My Calendar, but it says "your period is normally 4-7 days. Please check it and re-enter your period's end date" every time. This is not helpful for periods lasting for 3, 6, or 8 weeks at a time (thanks, Nexplanon*).

I would like an app that will accept (and show on the calendar) periods lasting over a week, with variable period lengths (not just a week, but not always over a week either) and cycle lengths (sometimes 2 weeks, sometimes 6, etc.) Is there an app that can do this without having to enter bleeding as a symptom every day? If it is entered as a symptom, the calendar apps I have tried do not count it as a period for predicting start dates. Please let me know if there is an app that does not limit the eriod or cycle lengths you can input!

*Also, I have just had Nexplanon removed and hope that I won't have any more 8-week periods, but my cycle was long and irregular before using it, so I expect that I still won't have a 7-day period and 28-day cycle anyway.

posted by cp311 to Grab Bag (19 answers total)

Response by poster: "eriod or cycle lengths" should be "period or cycle lengths". Oops!
posted by cp311 at 11:12 AM on September 12, 2015

Best answer: What about Clue? My period lengths are pretty much always the same, to the point that I don't even track that, but the graphical interface implies that you should be able to do this.

No idea on cycle length limits on Clue, as, again, length of period has never been a thing for me. I have had a few unusually long cycles (well over the average 28 days and my own personal average), and that has been absolutely fine in the app.
posted by Sara C. at 11:16 AM on September 12, 2015 [5 favorites]

I have used OvuView for a couple years now and it is terrific! The display is very customizable, can show calendar, daily, or wheel views, and gives you statistics on your cycle information. The developers built in several algorithms you can use based on what you track but it's also highly usable with just tracking menstrual flow.

There's a free version and a $5 upgrade version with some extra bonuses.
posted by bookdragoness at 11:23 AM on September 12, 2015

I've been using "Period Tracker" for a few years and I think it meets all your requirements including selecting a start and end date (and you can change the default period length so it lasts up to 15 days). It also averages the cycle length based on data entered. Looks like it's available for both iOS and Android.

http://gpapps.com/apps/
posted by A hidden well at 11:24 AM on September 12, 2015 [3 favorites]

As a note on OvuView - when you enter bleeding, "spotting" doesn't count as a period, but any other bleeding level does.
posted by bookdragoness at 11:26 AM on September 12, 2015

Best answer: I love Clue. Ticks all your boxes.
posted by dinnerdance at 11:28 AM on September 12, 2015 [3 favorites]

Nthing clue.
posted by pearlybob at 11:32 AM on September 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

I use both Clue and Period Tracker/PTracker and both have the function you want. I have yet to play around with Clue, but with Period Tracker, you simply click on the calendar date and an "Add New Note" function will let you indicate if your period started/ended that day. It also logs the cycle length of each period based on the dates you enter.
posted by theappleonatree at 11:51 AM on September 12, 2015

A friend of mine made Monthly.Info. It's a web tool, not an app, but unless she's gone and done some major overhaul in the last few years, all you have to do is put in a start date and an end date and it tracks it from there.
posted by phunniemee at 11:53 AM on September 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

Hmm. I use My Calendar and don't have any problems entering the end date. I have very irregular and often long cycles (thanks, perimenopause!) and it registers all of them just fine. I'm just looking at the settings for "cycle length" and you can change the settings to have it use the average or not, or to ignore irregular cycles. Maybe try changing them and see if it does better at letting you enter what you want?
posted by gingerbeer at 11:56 AM on September 12, 2015

Yep, came in here to recommend Clue!
posted by janepanic at 12:34 PM on September 12, 2015

I use PeriodTracker also, and it does what you need. You enter a start date and an end date for each period. If you don't enter an end date it will default to four days.
posted by mskyle at 2:45 PM on September 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

I recommend taking cinnamon [found in the drugstore vitamin aisle, alphabetical order] to make menses more regular. I am 34 and started my menses at 12, and have been irregular my entire life. I started cinnamon in january and have been super regular [to the day!] every month.

The app I use is period tracker on iOS, I imagine they may have an android version as well. I had to delete my old data for the past 5 years because they account for irregular cycles.
posted by squirbel at 2:57 PM on September 12, 2015

I use Ovia Ovuline to track my irregular periods. It's mostly geared to women trying to conceive, but you can ignore all the other tracking questions if you want. It allows you to track your period days, how heavy your flow is, and what kind of spotting you have. However, I think you have to enter period information a day at a time, you can't enter a range of dates all at once.
posted by stripesandplaid at 3:54 PM on September 12, 2015

Clue is fantastic, you enter your period each day that you have it and indicate how heavy the flow is.
posted by skycrashesdown at 7:22 PM on September 12, 2015

I use Fertility Friend and it registers intermittent bleeding as still being the same period.
posted by Knowyournuts at 9:21 PM on September 12, 2015

I also use Period Tracker, and take Evening Primrose suppliments for my periods.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 1:08 AM on September 13, 2015

Response by poster: Clue seems to do what I want so far - thanks for all the suggestions!
posted by cp311 at 9:01 AM on September 13, 2015

I am super irregular also and use Clue. It actually predicts based on your actual averages. Very useful.

Plus it isn't obnoxiously designed full of glittery pink and purple flowers and/or butterflies like many alternatives.
posted by oblique red at 1:28 PM on September 16, 2015