Menstrual Cycle Tracking: How It Made Me More Aware of My Health
By tracking my cycle in Garmin Connect™, I was able to get to know my body better and discover irregularities.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never been the girl who religiously tracks her period. Unless I was on birth control pills, I didn’t know when it was coming or pay attention to how long it lasted. And I had never really used one of those fancy apps that tracks your period. To me those apps seemed like too much work, time and effort!
But last year, I went through a very traumatic experience that changed my life. I suffered from crazy monthly periods, and it was a struggle to figure what was happening with my cycle and how my body was changing. Enter Garmin.
The menstrual cycling tracking feature on the Garmin Connect app was HUGE in helping me track the progression of my condition and follow what was going on. I chose to use this feature above all the apps on the market because it’s simple, user-friendly, and, just like my Garmin, fits right into my everyday life. Because the feature was on my wrist, all the information I needed about my period was at my fingertips whenever I needed it. No searching through my phone or looking for notes that I had written to myself.
I’ve always had fairly mild periods so when I began to experience heavier bleeding, it was pretty surprising. The issues with my cycle crept up so slowly that I would not have noticed them if I wasn’t already using the menstrual cycle tracking feature on my Garmin Connect app. I had just started using it at the beginning of the year and didn’t think twice about it or how the information I was inputting might be used. But because I consistently tracked my symptoms and used the “notes” feature in the app, I was able to see that starting in the spring and over the next few months into summer, my bleeding was getting heavier and heavier.
Once I realized this, I began taking even more detailed notes in the app. It was quick and easy, which was exactly what I needed. Specifically, I tracked how I was feeling and made note of any headaches, belly bloating, fevers and changes in my weight. I also noticed that — because the app was automatically tracking my period start date and its duration — my periods were not getting longer, they were just getting heavier.
After several months of very heavy periods, I decided to see my gynecologist. After numerous rounds of tests and ultrasounds, it was determined I had fibroids. These benign muscular tumors of the uterus can wreak havoc and cause a host of symptoms in women who suffer from them. Initially my doctor and I tried to control the heavy bleeding at its onset each month by using medication.
The start date reminder on the menstrual cycle tracking feature was very helpful in letting me know when my period was going to show up so I had time to prepare, fill prescriptions and call my doctor as requested. The app sent several notifications about my upcoming my period, making it so I could emotionally prepare for its intensity and also try to offset some of the bleeding with the medication.
After several months of trying to control my condition with medication, we determined that my situation needed surgical intervention. I’m happy to say that the surgical procedure worked. My periods are now back to normal, and I couldn’t be happier! The menstrual cycle tracking feature on my Garmin Connect app really was a godsend during this entire situation. The feature allowed me to accurately track my symptoms in a way that was meaningful to me so I could relay information to my physician. Even though my fibroid condition has been resolved, I still use the menstrual cycle tracking feature to keep track of my periods and make sure the issue does not return. If it does, I’ll be ready.
Nicole Calhoun, PhD, ERYT 200
NOTICE: Garmin devices and features were not designed or intended to monitor or diagnose diseases or other conditions.
