ArticleObstetrics and gynecology international2020
Smartphone Applications for Period Tracking: Rating and Behavioral Change among Women Users.
Article in Obstetrics and gynecology international, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of symptom-reporting tools to support endometriosis identification and management in primary care: a realist synthesis.BMJ open · 2026Review
- Monitoring Menstrual Health in Footballers: Considerations for Tracking Menstrual and Hormonal Contraceptive Cycles in the Field to Support Performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- How well do women understand their menstrual cycles? Insights from 383,085 UK based women.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Exploring engagement patterns in a reproductive health app using the Technology Acceptance Model.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Article
- Reliability of Cycle Applications for Pregnancy Planning and Contraception: A Systematic Review.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health · 2025Review
- Validating the current duration approach for measuring infertility prevalence using novel app data from the USA.Human reproduction (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Motivations for Use, User Experience and Quality of Reproductive Health Mobile Applications in a Pre-Menopausal User Base: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- A scoping review of the reporting quality of reviews of commercially and publicly available mobile health apps.JAMIA open · 2025Review
- Mobile applications available in Saudi Arabia for the management of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A quality review and content analysis.PloS one · 2025Article
- Identifying predictors of formal help-seeking for premenstrual symptoms: A machine learning analysis of symptom, functional impairment and barriers data.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Menstrual Cycle Management and Period Tracker App Use in Millennial and Generation Z Individuals: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Women's comfort with mobile applications for menstrual cycle self-monitoring following the overturning ofmHealth · 2024Article
- A call to integrate menstrual cycle influences into just-in-time adaptive interventions for suicide prevention.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Characterization of Self-reported Improvements in Knowledge and Health Among Users of Flo Period Tracking App: Cross-sectional Survey.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Article
- Menstrual Tracking Mobile App Review by Consumers and Health Care Providers: Quality Evaluations Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Review
- Smartphone apps for menstrual pain and symptom management: A scoping review.Internet interventions · 2023Article
- Menopause knowledge and education in women under 40: Results from an online survey.Women's health (London, England)Article
- A post-phenomenological analysis of using menstruation tracking apps for the management of premenstrual syndrome.Digital healthArticle
- Period tracker applications: What menstrual cycle information are they giving women?Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of mobile apps for health and well-being has grown exponentially in the last decade, as such apps were reported to be ideal platforms for behavioral change and symptoms monitoring and management.
objectiveThis study aimed to systematically review period tracking applications available at Google Play and Apple App Stores and determine the presence, features, and quality of these smartphone apps. In addition, behavioral changes associated with the top 5 rated apps were assessed.
methodsThis study used the Systematic Search Criteria through Google Play Store and iTunes Apple Store, using terms related to period tracking. Apps were scanned for matching the inclusion criteria and the included apps were assessed by two reviewers using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS), a tool that was developed for classifying and assessing the quality of mHealth apps.
resultsForty-nine apps met the inclusion criteria. Most of the apps enabled setting user goals, motivations, and interactivity, tracking multiple symptoms or mood changes, allowed notifications, and used graphs to illustrate the tracking result over a specific period of time. The majority of features and functions within these apps were offered for free, while some apps included limited in-app purchases or needed Internet connection to function. Certain apps were reported by participants to promote behavioral change and increase knowledge and awareness regarding monthly periods.
conclusionsPeriod tracking apps were easy to use and navigate and can hence be readily adopted into routine tracking and management of periods. However, most apps were not based on significant evidence and may need further development to support period-related symptom management.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.