You might want to keep track of your periods for a variety of reasons. Many women keep track of them for birth control or for boosting their chances of conceiving. Many others do it for other health reasons.

While irregularities and missed periods are not often a cause for alarm, many women still find it beneficial to log their menstrual cycle and accompanying symptoms.

If you’re an iPhone user, you can simply use the Health app to keep track of your menstrual cycle.

How to Set Up Cycle Tracking

While there are plenty of apps that monitor your menstrual cycle, you can use your iPhone’s built-in Health app to do the tracking for you.

Here's how to set it up:

1. Open the Health app, tap the Browse tab, and search for Cycle Tracking.
2. Hit Get Started, then tap Next and input all the required information. You can also tap Skip if you prefer.
3. Tap the toggle next to Period Prediction if you want the app to predict your periods and enable Period Notifications to allow the app to send you upcoming period prompts, which come at 8pm.
4. Tap the toggle switches for Fertility Predictions and Log Options if you wish to keep track of data for your fertility.

Don’t worry if you skipped some of these options during the setup. You can always change your options by going to Cycle Log & Options.

Related: Best Free Fitness Apps for iPhone to Get Healthier

With Cycle Tracking, you can log your period, flow level, various symptoms, spotting, and other factors that may influence your cycle, such as pregnancy or lactation.

How to Log Your Cycle Data

Once you're done setting it up, you can start logging your cycle data.

1. Go to the Health app, tap the Browse tab, and look for Cycle Tracking. Alternatively, it should appear under Summary if you've added it to your favorites.
2. Swipe to choose the day you want to log. Then simply tap the oval underneath the chosen date to log a period. Once you do this, an orange circle will appear inside the oval.
3. Add additional information under Other Data. The data you'll see here are those that you've included during setup.
4. To add or remove data categories from the list, tap Options beside Cycle Log. Scroll down and toggle the switches for options like Symptoms, Basal Body Temperature, and Spotting.
5. Once you're done, head back to Cycle Tracking and tap the plus icon (+) beside the data you wish to log.

How to Add Cycle Tracking to Your Favorites

To access Cycle Tracking faster, you can opt to add it to your Health app Favorites. There are two ways to do that:

• Go to Cycle Tracking, scroll down to More, then tap the star icon beside Add to Favorites.
• Or open the Health app, tap Edit beside Favorites, and choose the All tab. Scroll down and look for Cycles Tracking and tap the star icon to add it to Favorites.

How to Check Your Cycle Calendar

You can keep track of other relevant information about your cycle including Cycle History and Predictions. Here's how:

1. Open the Health app and go to Cycles Tracking.
2. Scroll down to Predictions to see your Fertile Window Prediction and your periods for the following three months with Period Prediction.
3. Scroll down to Your Cycles to check your Cycle History and Summary to see your Last Menstrual Period, Typical Cycle Length, and Typical Period Length.

What the Symbols and Colors Mean

To make it easier to track, Cycle Tracking provides you with easy visualization of the app's predictions. Here are the various symbols or colors to take note of:

• White oval: Dates with no information
• Solid red circle: logged period day
• Light red striped circle: possible predicted period day
• Red striped circle: likely predicted period day
• Small purple dot: logged additional information

Get Better Insights About Your Menstrual Health

Cycles and symptoms can be confusing and unpredictable. While tracking doesn’t change your cycle, it can give you insights and patterns about your monthly period, allowing you to understand your body better. So you’d know why you’re craving pizza one minute then crying over a shallow sitcom the next.