This is why it’s so important to track your menstrual cycle

You may not know it, but the menstrual cycle is often a direct indicator of your overall health. As it involves so many parts of the body, including the brain, hormones, ovaries, and uterus, your period can indicate existing underlying conditions that you might not be aware of. 

Tracking your cycle can help you to better understand your body. By keeping track of your menstrual cycle and noting down certain symptoms and details, significant changes and shifts in your health are more apparent. It’ll also be easier for you to recall and refer to information that you might otherwise forget about when speaking with your healthcare provider.

Why we should track our periods

Last month in March, Apple released some preliminary findings from its first Women’s Health Study, a first-of-its-kind research study conducted with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) that aims to “advance the understanding of menstrual cycles and how they relate to various health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), infertility, and menopausal transition”. 

The results from a preliminary analysis cohort of over 50,000 study participants found that cycle deviations were found in 16.4 percent of the study population, with Asian participants having a higher prevalence of irregular periods.

At least 5.7 percent of participants reported their cycles taking five or more years to reach cycle regularity after their first period. Participants in that group had more than twice the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and more than 3.5 times the risk of uterine cancer, compared to those who reported their cycles took less than one year to reach regularity.

12 percent of participants also reported a PCOS diagnosis. Participants with PCOS had more than four times the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (precancer of the uterus) and more than 2.5 times the risk of uterine cancer.

The researchers also found that the most frequently tracked symptoms were abdominal cramps, bloating, and tiredness, all of which were experienced by more than 60 percent of participants who logged symptoms. More than half of the participants who logged symptoms reported acne and headaches. Some less widely recognised symptoms, like diarrhoea and sleep changes, were also tracked by 37 percent of participants logging symptoms.

After analysing over 125,000 menstrual cycles, researchers found that participants experienced slightly longer menstrual cycles for cycles in which they received a COVID-19 vaccine, but participants’ cycles typically returned to pre-vaccination lengths the cycle after getting a vaccine.

Through releasing this data, the study aims to aid people in understanding the risk factors for such health conditions, as well as removing the stigma for people to have conversations with their healthcare providers about cycle irregularity. 

How to track your period

With how advanced technology is, it’s easier than ever when it comes to tracking your periods. If you’re looking to always have the dates of your last period at your fingertips, we’ve gathered some useful apps that can help with cycle tracking. 

Health app (for Apple users)

Credit: Apple

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With the release of the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple has also placed a heavy focus on women’s health. You can now track your menstrual cycle with a new body temperature sensor as well as a cycle tracking feature, which offers period predictions and ovulation estimations. It also detects your cycle deviations, such as prolonged or irregular periods.