Product Review: The iPeriod App
For at least the last five years, and probably longer, Alexandra and I have used an unbelievably inefficient system for tracking our fertility: We send each other text messages when our cycles start. That way, our fuzzy logic goes, we a) Always know how the other person is feeling; b) Can see if we’re still in sync, even though we’re on opposite coasts; and, most important, c) Have a dated record of our last period, lest we forget, which we always do.* It’s a ridiculous system. But until recently, it suited us both just fine.
Then Alexandra discovered the greatest app ever created: It’s called iPeriod, it’s free, and it’s amazing. Here’s why:
It’s an idiot-proof way to track not just your period and/or spotting, but also your mood, your skin, your cramps, your stress level, your sex life, and when you’re ovulating, which is important if you aren’t keen on getting pregnant right now. The app also predicts, with startling accuracy, the date of your next cycle, even if you’re irregular. What more could you want?
There’s also a note-taking section, which I find particularly useful. If you use it as a sort of shorthand diary, you may be able to detect patterns in your own life that sync up with your cycle. For instance, maybe your sleep get better when progesterone spikes, or maybe your skin freaks out right before your cycle, or maybe, just maybe, you have a tendency to pick big stupid fights with your partner in the days leading up to ovulation. This can all be very useful information!
We’ve spoken before about different methods of birth control on the site, and you guys almost broke our commenting record with all your thoughts. And so for those of you who aren’t on the pill, who are interested in tracking their own cycle, we cannot recommend this app highly enough. Of course you still need to use common sense: Having condomless sex if you are anywhere near ovulation is a terrible idea! And you should still educate yourself on the basics. For reasons that are beyond me, this stuff isn’t taught—or at least not taught properly—to young women, which is why it’s hardly surprising that so many women I know think ovulation happens two weeks after their period ends. Not so! In any case, this isn’t sex ed class, and everyone has to take responsibility for their own stuff, but this app takes out a lot of the guesswork.
How do you keep track of your cycle?
Literally the first app I ever bothered downloading…. Goes without saying: I love it!
I’ve been using P Tracker Lite on my iPhone for almost two years which sounds very similar to iPeriod. I’d be curious to see how they compare!
I LOVE this app!!! I am at that age when my periods come at will and this really helps to keep track of things. when i go to the gyno, i have a quick reference. It is also personal, so no markings on a calendar.
P tracker is also amazing. Wish I could go back in time and downloaded it for my confused little 11year old self, so i wasn’t so flipping terrified every time my period appeared out of the blue! x
Hopefully this is better than \Period Tracker\ ! That one really really tripped me up/freaked me out that my period was late several times. My period cycles really vary, and Period Tracker did not deal with that well. It was constantly saying my period was supposed to be earlier than it actually was. Very frustrating/nerve wracking. I like tracking the start and end days on it, but I don’t like being freaked out because of it.
I have an android, but have been using monthlyinfo.com since May 2007.
This book is also incredibly useful for tracking your period and natural birth control. Seriously changed my life.
http://bit.ly/A9bvBt
I also like this app:
http://femcalapp.com/
I’d like to add that I’m convinced my period is more regular thanks to this tracking device — defies logic, but I stand by my theory.
@ mstrex
I have been researching the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) for awhile as an alternative to The Pill and was itching to get my hands on Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Once I picked it up, I devoured 78 pages in a little over an hour! What an INCREDIBLE read! Ladies, if you have not read this book (and especially after the post with the girl about to go off The Pill), it is a MUST DO!!! Changed my life as well, mstrex! No more worry about whether I’m pregnant or not, reduced stress, inspired amazement about the wonders of how my body works…and frustration about how I didn’t get it till now because I wasn’t taught the basics during that 5th grade sex ed class.
I’ll have to look into the app. Sounds like it corresponds to what I’m already doing but with a nod to technology.
I wish I could get that on my Palm, it sounds awesome! I’ve been using an old-fashioned calendar ever since I started menstruating, and it’s fine, but I would love something more high-tech.
I have a Blackberry unf., so I use FertilityFriend.com. It tracks my period and when I’m ovulating. But I would like to try iPeriod to track my cramps, moods and stress level. When I switch back to iPhone, I will download this app.
I was using an app called Lily but I found the interface too fussy so ended up getting My Days because it was simpler to use, although not as pretty, not that that matters as it does exactly what I need so it’s perfect.
This is a very good app. I presently use Ptracker slightly more moron friendly! Best tip about fertility is be kind to yourself and breathe! All the chat and the thinking about it will stress you out.
I’ve been using an app called “OvuView” on an android phone. I don’t know how this compares to the iPhone apps, but it’s the best free android one I’ve tried so far. It’s really nice that the interface shows the information somewhat graphicly and offers non-pink options. It also has several different fertility calculation methodologies you can choose to use.
I also use OvuView on Android and love it so much I paid for the upgrade. It has a lot of different options, so it can be a bit confusing at first. I’m currently on the pill to treat PCOS and all it’s related “fun”, but I dream of getting it under control enough that I can go drug free. All of the available charts and reports are really helpful for doctors visits and I like seeing correlation between symptoms and cycle (migraines, insomnia, weight, etc.)
@Alexandra
There is some research – anecdotal and otherwise – demonstrating that just the act of paying attention to our cycles can positively impact problems like irregularity.
In this and other threads, many of you have mentioned you wished you’d known more about how the menstrual cycle works when you were younger. After a year of post-pill amenorrhea, I practiced FAM successfully for 27 years, starting long before Toni Weschler’s great book Taking Charge of Your Fertility came out. I would have loved to have had it as a resource when I was in my 20s. I also wish I’d had Weschler’s other book – Cycle Savvy: The Smart Teen’s Guide to the Mysteries of Her Body, when I was 13. I recommend giving it to the girls in our lives. http://amzn.to/z9xRvX
thanks for this! :D
I’m gonna download the app tonight since my next p is coming in a few days time. Hopefully, I’ll remember to update it, though.
I know I’m a bit late to comment but I’ve been using My Cycles which is a free app as well and I find it soo much easier than iPeriod. There are no ads and it seems to do all the same things but the interface is easier for me! I’m not sure it has a note feature but I much prefer the app overall!
Thanks!
I really liked this app! until my iphone updated and deleted it!! then I had none of the data from a year of tracking! dam it apple!