Tracking through every stage: conceiving, contraception, pregnancy and perimenopause

Your cycle is not the same across your life, and neither is what you want to know about it. In your twenties you may simply want to know when your next period is due. Later you might be trying to conceive, managing contraception, expecting a baby, or noticing the first changes of perimenopause. Tracking works best when it follows the stage you are in.

Everyday cycle tracking

For most people, the basics are enough: period dates, flow and the symptoms you care about. Our guide to what to log and why covers the essentials.

Trying to conceive

When you are trying to conceive, the days around ovulation matter most. Signals people often track include:

• cycle length over several months;
• changes in vaginal discharge (cervical mucus), which often becomes clearer and more slippery before ovulation;
• ovulation tests, which pick up the rise in hormones that comes just before you ovulate;
• your temperature when you first wake up (basal body temperature), which rises slightly after ovulation, so it shows ovulation has happened rather than predicting it.

Any app’s fertile window is an estimate, not a confirmation that ovulation happened. Doctors usually recommend starting folic acid before you try to conceive; ask yours about the right dose for you. It is generally suggested to seek advice after a year of trying, after six months if you are 35 or older, or sooner if your cycles are very irregular.

Using birth control

With contraception, tracking shifts from predicting your period to keeping your method on schedule:

• the time you take a daily pill, and any missed doses;
• patch, ring or injection change dates;
• bleeding changes, since hormonal methods often alter bleeding patterns, especially in the first few months.

Reminders help with the schedule. A tracker is not contraception itself, though, so follow the instructions for your method and ask a doctor or pharmacist if you miss a dose.

Pregnancy

Once you are pregnant, period tracking gives way to a different record: how many weeks along you are (usually counted from the first day of your last period), your estimated due date, appointments, symptoms, and questions for your next check-up.

Perimenopause

According to the World Health Organization, most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Perimenopause is the transition before it: it usually begins with changes in the menstrual cycle, can last several years, and ends one year after the final period.

Useful things to track include changes in cycle length, skipped periods, heavier or lighter flow, hot flushes, night sweats, sleep and mood. A record over months helps you and your doctor see what is changing. Bleeding after menopause, meaning after twelve months without a period, should always be checked by a doctor.

Changing stages, at your own pace

Life does not move in neat chapters. You might try to conceive, pause, start contraception again, or move between stages more than once. A good tracker lets you switch what you track without losing your history.

This article shares general information about menstrual health. It is not medical advice. Cycle estimates are not a method of contraception. If something feels wrong, or you are worried, please see a doctor or gynaecologist.