Period-Tracking Apps May Do More Harm Than Good, Experts Warn

Millions of people use smartphone apps to log their periods, moods, and energy levels, often acting on in-app advice about when to exercise, eat, or rest. But a new analysis published in the BMJ challenges whether any of that is actually helping.

Writing in the journal, Katharine Lee and colleagues argue that menstrual tracking and the practice known as “cycle syncing” — adjusting daily behaviour to match different phases of the menstrual cycle — have not been convincingly shown to improve health outcomes or physical performance. The researchers go further, warning that these apps require greater scrutiny and that their widespread use risks creating more harm than benefit.

The concern isn’t simply that the apps don’t work. It’s that they may actively mislead users — shaping health decisions on the basis of claims that haven’t been properly tested.

Cycle syncing has grown sharply in popularity on social media, where influencers recommend tailoring workouts, diet, and even social commitments to the follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phases of the cycle. App stores carry dozens of products built around this concept, some with millions of downloads.

Lee and colleagues’ analysis does not argue that menstrual tracking is inherently harmful. Rather, according to the BMJ, they call for the evidence base behind these tools to be examined far more carefully before they’re promoted as health interventions. The researchers warn that without that scrutiny, users may be making unnecessary changes to their lives — or, in some cases, developing an unhealthy preoccupation with their cycle data.

Anyone with concerns about their menstrual health should speak to their GP rather than relying on an app. NHS 111 is available by phone or online for general health queries.