Top Reasons To Track Your Period
Tracking your menstrual cycle using a period tracker or a journal can help you to gain a deeper understanding of your period, mood, fertility, and overall health.
Monitoring your periods can be useful whether you’re a teenage girl getting her first period or a woman experiencing peri-menopause.
In this post, we’re going to look at 4 benefits of recording your period and cycle-related symptoms.
Period Trackers For Your Menstrual Cycle
Each month, tracking your bleed will build a picture of what’s normal for you. It’s also a great way to help you to feel in control and connected to your period.
For some girls and women, their periods are regular and they simply wish to keep sight of their cycle dates in one convenient place.
For other women, logging their periods helps them track their next bleed, and/or they can begin to build a picture of irregular bleeding, heavy bleeding, blood clots, and painful cramps.
If you have concerns about your periods, then having your cycle pattern and symptoms jotted down over a number of months makes it easier to share with your doctor. You don’t have to sit there scratching your head trying to remember what you were experiencing two months ago.
Period Trackers For Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Using a period tracker can help you to see patterns in connection with your physical and emotional self.
There will be times during the month where you may feel sociable, happy, loved up, and energised, and then around a week or two before your next period, you may notice a change in your mood. You may feel low, irritable, tired, or anxious.
PMS symptoms can also be physical, such as experiencing bloating, sore breasts, headaches, backaches, altered sleep patterns, spots, and period cramps.
Making a note of your physical and emotional responses over the month can help you to paint a picture of how you feel at certain times of the month. This can be really useful in knowing when your period may be due, or the best time to book a holiday, arrange a night out with friends, or the best night to stay in and practice some self-care.
Period Trackers For Fertility
Some women choose to record their cycles to track their fertility.
Tracking your period can help you to calculate your fertile window. Not only can you monitor when you may ovulate, but you can describe any physical and emotional changes you may notice, such as your basal temperature, vaginal discharge, ovulatory pain, and mood.
These symptoms can all be used to work out the best time to plan for a pregnancy. Alternatively, you could use this information as a form of birth control.
Period Trackers To Assess Your Overall Health
Recording your period increases your awareness of what’s happening, both physically and emotionally, for you on an ongoing basis.
For example, if you notice changes to your cycle, such as irregular bleeding, clots, or pain, this can be an indication that something isn’t right. Using the information you’ve collected, your doctor or nurse may suggest lifestyle changes, medication, or refer you for further tests.
Our Period Journals
Here at The Hood we’ve been busy designing gorgeous period tracker journals for you. It’s the perfect place to jot down both your physical and emotional experiences with each cycle and notice any trends or patterns as they arise.
Click here to find out about our Girlhood journal, which is perfect for tweens and teens. Watch this space, as our Sisterhood journal is soon to be released.
In Summary
Tracking your period is a great way to understand ‘your normal’ cycle pattern and any PMS symptoms.
If you wish to take a closer look at your fertility, period trackers can also be used to prevent or prepare for a pregnancy.
Using a period tracker allows you to see both physical and emotional patterns emerging as the months roll on. You can use this information to deepen your understanding of your health, identify any problems, and share these with your doctor.
Check out our shop for more information about our period journals and trackers.
By Rebekah Louise
www.rebekahlouisewrites.com