Moody Month: Hormone Tracker

Before getting this app, I wasn’t the best at understanding my body. I had no idea the moon played a crucial role in my menstrual, or that the weather can also be a contributing factor. I also didn’t know that even days/weeks I didn’t have my menstrual, my hormones play a huge part in myself and body. If you need advice, tips, and more understanding of your body, this is the app. Even if you do or think that you do, the insight that the app provides is incredible. You’ll learn more about yourself the more you continue to log your symptoms, the way that you feel and more. You can also add the categories you want to track and how you feel about yourself and things outside yourself, including the world and relationships. This app is a must have for life. There is a pro version in this app, but what I love so much about the app is that even in the free version, there’s so much that helps you and so many cool features. I genuinely believe that the creators of the app care about women and their health. I love this app!

I’m struggling to find a cycle tracker that uses the correct terminology for cycle phases and doesn’t stigmatize the process. While this app is helpful, I’m pretty disappointed in some of the verbiage. Calling it ‘Moody’ was a red flag right off the bat, but I’m giving it a chance. I like the daily forecast, and the ability to synchronize the moon phase. I would love to see this on a wheel as many other period apps have, as opposed to a calendar. A wheel allows one to see their entire cycle and each phase as it begins and ends. It prioritizes viewing the *cycle* as a complete process as opposed to the month. I was very disappointed to see the four cycle phases renamed as ‘Bleed’, ‘Rise’, ‘Shift’, and ‘Reflect’. The correct terms are Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulatory, and Luteal… which most women don’t know. Periods have been historically stigmatized, which has robbed us of knowledge of our cycle, and how each phase affects our minds, bodies, and emotions. Why contribute to this stigma by renaming the cycle phases? I’m currently using five different apps, and have explored countless others, searching for one that doesn’t use gimmicky terms. While this app provides a wealth of information, the presentation and lack of correct terminology is disappointing. I’m going to continue using this through my cycle and will update this review if my opinion changes through daily use.

I was excited for an app that seemed to track lots of areas of mood triggers, however, there are lots of things that just don’t allow for accurate input with this app. First is the inability to input a period longer than 10 days. Sure, that might not be considered medically normal, but when you’ve had an irregular period since age thirteen that generally lasts for 9-12 days, and frequently even longer than 12 days, it would be nice to have a health tracker allow that kind of input to help you out with those conversations with doctors that have been happening for over 20 years. Next, you can’t log any info for a missed day EXCEPT a period on the calendar. So, you can add it a day or two late, but then how does that really help track the info accurately, might as well just use a paper journal. The last real disappointment for me, and the reason I’ve decided to delete the app altogether is that when my phone was damaged and had to be replaced, ALL of my input data was lost. So, they don’t keep any of it stored at all anywhere, just on the device you’re using? What’s the point? The last backup on my phone happened within hours of needing to be replaced, and a few days after my last log of info into the app. But there is nothing saved at all. 3 months of period input and physical symptom logging, and its kaput. What a waste of time. I should have just been using the calendar on my phone the whole time. Or, like I said, a paper journal.