P Tracker App Review
I have been using P Tracker since September 2020 and have found that, in my humble opinion, it is the best app for tracking my monthly cycles. Read my P Tracker app review below.
Some background
My worst symptoms during pregnancy were headaches. Massive ones. The thing about headaches during pregnancy is that there’s not so much you can do about them, right? You have to rest it off, taking extra care not to pop any painkillers unless you really, really had to, and only with the permission of your doctor. I didn’t suffer so much with nausea as I did with headaches.
In actual fact, headaches had been the bane of my existence all through my 20s and early 30s. They started of as a tightness in my temples and forehead and grew into miserable migraines within a few hours.
Fast-forward a few years, and we were all in lockdown. We used that time to rest and reflect, and we respected ourselves more. Also during that time, I realised that my monthly symptoms were worsening with each passing month, and after much thought and consideration, I put it down to the use of the contraceptive pill. I calculated that I had been on and off the pill since my late teens (acne-related) and the headaches suddenly began to make sense. My body was constantly in a hormonal state of pregnancy!
Thus, around April 2020, when the world was still reeling from lockdowns and pandemics, I decided to take a bold step for all woman-kind – I decided to leave the pill!
The next few months (May to August) saw me using the calendar app on my phone to mark the start date of my period, and quickly making a note of the it in my journal. This system reminded me of my high-school years. I recall marking red circles in a mini-calendar which I kept in my pencil case! Did you do that, too?
P-Tracker App
I really can’t remember when and how I found this app, but my life changed when I did! The P-Tracker app is the BFF you didn’t know you needed!
How P Tracker works
When your period starts, all you have to do is touch on the ‘Period Started Now’ button and it does all the calculations for you. The free option works as a regular tracking app and it:
- Has a little widget on your home screen that shows a countdown to your next period. Never be caught unawares again.
- Calculates the projected duration of your period
- Calculates your average cycle (Useful for istihaza!)
- Set a period alert to notify you that you are due soon (Choose to be notified up to 5 days before and choose a time to set the alarm)
- Has a ‘Trying to Conceive’ mode with Fertility and Ovulation notifications
- Has a ‘Pregnancy’ mode which will pause period-related calculations and begin a countdown to your delivery date
- Has the option of sharing your data with your husband
- Tracks temperature & weight
- Has the option to import your step count from another device
- Allows you to sign in to your account, so your data is always available. This was handy when I changed phones. (I can look back at my period pattern from September 2020!)
There are many other features which can be unlocked with the Premium Option. However, I use the free version, and it suits my purposes very well.
The paid version of P Tracker
The paid version acts as a complete health tracker for women. With this option, you can:
- Make note of your specific symptoms throughout the month (This used to be a free option, so I know that it is useful)
- Make a note of your moods at various points in your cycle (This also used to be in the free option, and it was quite useful.)
- Exercise tracker
- Sleep tracker
- Water tracker
- Calorie tracker
The paid app is very reasonably priced at R139.99 per year. That works out to just over R11 a month, so it is definitely affordable and could, perhaps, make a unique bridal shower e-gift.
The only downside I have found with P-Tracker app is that it resets a period after twelve days. That is, if your period lasts longer, you’ll have to update the calendar in-app once your period is over, which isn’t very difficult to do, at all.
Conclusion
All in all, as there are very few apps which I have used consistently for this long, I know that P-Tracker certainly has found a place in my life. It has been especially useful recently when my cycle changed quite drastically and I have had to do calculations for istihaza. (I suspect that I may be perimenopausal, but that’s a topic for another day).
If you do try out the app, please let me know what you thought of it by leaving a comment below.
Let me know what your favourite apps are.
- A note about my headaches: As the months passed, they have slowly disappeared! These days, I find myself more in control of my own body. The severity of my PMS has reduced drastically and I am so thankful for the change I have made.
- I am not advocating for a pill-less world. Please speak to your health care practitioner before making any decisions. We are each responsible for our own decisions.
Stay well, inside and out
Waheeda, a.k.a Waydi
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