Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle Without Compromising Privacy
In today's digital age, as increasing numbers of women step away from potentially carcinogenic birth control medications in search of more natural fertility management methods, many find themselves gravitating towards mobile apps to track their menstrual cycles. Yet, the allure of these digital tools is often overshadowed by questionable privacy policies and the imposition of monthly charges for basic features. Such concerns, combined with a desire for more personal and private solutions, have driven many women to rediscover non-digital, time-tested methods. Below are several of these trusted approaches to tracking your cycle without compromising on privacy or breaking the bank.
The Importance of Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle
Tracking one's menstrual cycle goes beyond merely predicting the next period; it provides a window into a woman's overall health and hormonal landscape. The menstrual cycle is governed by a delicate balance of hormones, primarily estrogen and progesterone, which fluctuate throughout the month. These hormonal changes not only influence menstruation but also affect mood, energy levels, and other physiological processes.
Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, women cannot get pregnant every day of their cycle. In fact, there's only a brief window each month, known as the fertile window, during which ovulation occurs and conception is possible. This window is typically around the time when estrogen levels peak and an egg is released from the ovaries. By understanding and tracking these hormonal fluctuations and their associated signs, women can make informed decisions about contraception, family planning, and even manage hormone-related health conditions. Knowing one's cycle is a powerful tool for self-awareness and proactive health management.
1. Traditional Calendar Tracking
Traditional calendar tracking method is one of the most commonly used, and is the method offered by most period tracking apps / services. It’s very basic and easy to use for most people, however it lacks accuracy as it assumes that your ovulation will happen on the 14th day of every cycle, which is not always true.
Whenever I have talked to my doctor about my method of family planning, they always give a lot of push-back because of the fact that most people who use FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) are using this version with an app and often end up pregnant because it doesn’t accurately predict ovulation.
This method is great if you’re casually trying to become pregnant, or are using another method of protection to prevent pregnancy, but it’s not 100% reliable. Even with perfect use, you can still have an unplanned pregnancy since your ovulation date / fertile window can shift depending on things like diet, exercise, stress levels, medications and other factors.
How it works:
Mark the first day of your period on your calendar.
Continue marking each day of your period.
Over time, you'll notice a pattern and can predict when your next period will start.
Optionally, you can also track other hormonal symptoms such as cramps, mood, energy levels, acne etc.
There are many apps that can do this for you, and predict upcoming periods as well as provide estimated fertile windows. I would not rely on these apps for preventing pregnancy as they do not capture enough data to make accurate guesses AND often they will sell your data (which is so messed up in my opinion).
2. Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Charting
Advantages: Offers insights into ovulation, making it a popular choice for those trying to conceive.
How it works:
Take your temperature every morning before getting out of bed using a BBT thermometer. It’s best to track your temperature at the same time each day, before getting up or speaking to get the most accurate reading.
Record the temperature on a chart.
A consistent rise in temperature over several days indicates ovulation has occurred.
For more information on this topic, you can check out Taking Charge of Your Fertility website, where you can find print-out cycle tracking sheets as well as information on how to track your cycle accurately to plan or prevent pregnancy.
3. Cervical Mucus & Position Tracking
Most of the month, your cervical mucus is more watery, and is not the right consistency to support sperm in their journey to the egg and is also acidic, making it an inhospitable environment for sperm.
During your ovulatory phase, your cervical mucus transitions to a consistency that resembles raw egg white, which is able to be used by the sperm to travel up to the egg. Knowing where your cervical mucus is in this cycle can be really helpful information whether you’re TTC or looking to avoid a pregnancy.
How it works:
Check your cervical mucus daily and track it on a calendar or chart.
As ovulation approaches, mucus will become clearer, stretchier, and more slippery.
After ovulation, it returns to a thicker and less stretchy consistency.
4. The Symptothermal Method
In my opinion this is the best method, regardless of your goals as it combines multiple methods for increased accuracy. I use the print out cycle tracking calendar from Taking Charge of Your Fertility’s website. I like it because it has a little slot to track all of your symptoms including cervical mucus, temperature, day of cycle, exercise, medications, notes and more for each day of your cycle.
Using this tracking printout, you begin a new sheet on the first day of your cycle (the first day of your period). I prefer tracking on paper because then I can refer back a little easier, but I think they also have a version for tracking in excel spreadsheet.
How it works:
Uses both BBT charting, and cervical mucus tracking.
Includes tracking other symptoms like mood changes, cramps, and breast tenderness.
By combining multiple signs, this method provides a more comprehensive view of where you are in your cycle.
5. Cycle Beads
If you’re more of a visual person, you could also try using a string of beads to track your cycle as our ancestors did. Many of the first calendars found at archeological sites only had 28 days on them and are thought to have been the first menstrual tracking calendars used by our ancestors.
This method is something I would only use if you are ok with getting pregnant, or are using other forms of protection as it may not accurately predict ovulation without monitoring other symptoms. Also, it assumes that your cycle is very regular.
How it works:
Cycle beads are a string of colored beads representing the days of a woman's cycle.
Move a rubber ring over one bead each day, or slide one bead to the other side of the string each day.
The beads' colors indicate whether you're likely to be fertile that day.
Takeaways
While digital apps offer convenience, non-digital methods are often free and offer unparalleled privacy. By understanding and listening to your body's signs, you can effectively track your menstrual cycle without any concerns about data breaches or sharing personal information. Whatever method you choose, whether you’re trying to conceive, gaining understanding of your hormones or looking to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, consistency is key for success.
