Tools for Tracking Your Cycle
Although our photo galleries primarily show us working with pregnant folks as they prepare for their birth, we also work alongside those who are trying to conceive as well as those trying not to. Whatever their hopes for conception might be, we will often use cycle tracking to gather baseline information in helping us offer the very best fertility support for that individual or family. Tracking your cycle can bring forth a lot of benefits, beyond family planning and fertility. One’s menstrual cycle can clarify digestive and nutritional needs, offer answers to symptomatic abnormalities such as PMS, PCOS, and heavy bleeding, and provides a glimpse at the general overall health of that individual. Understanding the phases of the menstrual cycle, as well as when and how long it takes you to cycle through those phases, is often referred to as the fifth vital sign in assessing one’s health. Perhaps you’ve read the hype and want to expand your health autonomy and body literacy, or maybe you are ready to start looking into ways to grow your family. Either way, there is a plethora of tools to help you along the way. Listed here are a few of our favorites.
Thermometers for Symptothermal Methods
There are many methods out there for tracking one’s cycle. Of these methods, we are better-versed in the symptothermal methods. These methods often have you observe and record changes in basal body temperature, cervical mucus, cervical positioning, breast/chest tenderness, and so much more. Your basal body temperature (BBT) is often the foundation of many of these methods, so what is it actually? BBT is the lowest temperature your body reaches while you are sleeping. You can take your BBT orally or under the arm, but the thermometer will be different than the one we’re used to when you feel ill. You will need a thermometer that reads with 1/10th or even 1/100th accuracy, or two numbers after the decimal (for example, 97.76 degrees Fahrenheit). When I just started tracking my cycle, I kept it simple. Something $15 or under is all you need. I really like the one I have from iProven.
But I also work odd hours as a doula. My sleep schedule is wonky, and sometimes when I wake up at 2am to a call from a birthing family, there’s no stinkin’ way I’m taking time to wait 60 seconds to take my temp before I jump out of bed. And so I turned to Tempdrop and only have amazing things to say about it. The benefits of making my cycle tracking easier outweighed the hesitation of the hefty price tag. This might be something to consider if you are set on tracking your cycle for longer than a year and/or have a wonky schedule like mine.
For the Planner, Journaling, Pen-and-Paper-Type Folk
So you have your BBT and may be taking note of other bodily changes occurring. But you need somewhere to actually take those note. If you’re anything like me, a physical pen and notebook to write my schedule, to-do lists, random thoughts, and reflections is of utmost importance. My husband has tried numerous times to bring me over to the [dark] side of shared Google calendars and productivity apps. Nothing will even come close to the planner I look forward to buying every January. I’m all about turning to tech to reduce waste, but these things stay with me for life, a scrapbook-like documentation of each year.
If you are this person too, I highly recommend you check into a Fertility Charting Journal. There’s space to dot/bullet journal, doodle, color, and record self-breast-exams, in addition to tracking your cycle. Many local and online Fertility Awareness folks offer printable versions of these sheets as well as the Taking Charge of Your Fertility website. Ultimately, the goal is to have a monthly visual of the various fertility signs you might be noticing. Perhaps you notice a shift in emotions around the end of your luteal phase or an absence of ovulation during a particularly stressful month. These are important things to take note of and share with your medical provider.
For the More Eco- and App-Friendly
Although I prefer pen and paper, I have tried so. many. apps. And I have to be honest; there is a lot of BS out there. Steer clear of any app that claims it can predict your period or when you will ovulate. These apps use an algorithm that average out your previous period days, and provide a guess based on that average (and when you are relying on this app to tell you when you can and cannot conceive, a guess is simply not good enough). Some folks have never been on birth control and have a steady amount of stress and food intake, and their cycles are fairly predictable. These folks are few and far between. The rest of us encounter varied amounts of stress each day, have been taken various synthetic hormones for years, may be coping with trauma, late nights of Netflix (or birth), binge eating around holidays, and attempting some celery juice or keto craze thereafter. This combination of factors leads to the all too common story of the family either a) trying to conceive for months only later to find they aren’t actually ovulating on day 14 every month, or b) trying not to conceive with natural family planning only to find themselves pregnant soon after. We are complex humans with frequent changes in our diets, sleep schedules, amounts of stress, and hormone disruption. Find an app that asks about your BBT, cervical change, and other bodily changes. It is this cross-referencing of multiple fertility signs that increases accuracy, not some algorithm that simply tracks when you bleed. My favorite, for now, is Kindara, but there are a few apps in the making with similar quality and quantity of data use and consideration.
The Ultimate Tool For Everyone
A fertility doula or educator! A real-life person who can sit with you and walk you through the various methods and tools and options you have to meet your own personal goals. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the app or journaling type if the tools and information you’re using aren’t meeting your needs. Schedule a complimentary consult with us, and we’ll talk about your fertility goals and how we might be able to support you along the way.
In the meantime, you can check out our other fertility related blog posts, listen in on our favorite fertility podcast, Fertility Friday, or read up on the age-old classic, Taking Charge of Your Fertility. We know that having all the options, information, and support available to you, no matter where you are at with your fertility, is the most important piece in feeling empowered to make informed decisions around your physical and mental health. We want you to know you’re not alone, and support folks along all walks of life, whether it be infertility, miscarriage, IVF/IUI, Single by Choice and Queer-Identifying parents.