The purpose of this column is to highlight apps I have found interesting, fun, and/or useful. While this app is geared toward a certain segment of the population, Free Menstrual Calendar (FMC) is an app I have used for a long time. FMC has been a decent app, but not noteworthy until now. The latest update has given the app a nicer interface and has increased the number of features.
FMC allows for the tracking of a woman’s menstrual cycle. You can mark the start date and each day of your period, and, if you want, you can keep track of your flow (spotting, light, normal, heavy). The new update allows for the input of daily moods, weight, aches, pains, and intimacy. The intimacy section lets you keep track of the days you’ve had unprotected or protected sex. On the calendar, the date outlined in red is the estimated start of your period. The green days are the days you are likely ovulating. Combined with being able to track intimacy, these features can help you get pregnant or avoid getting pregnant.
The new update lets users pick from 20 themes to use such as Waterfall, Rainbow, Mountain, Cupcake, and Tuscan. The home screen is where you’ll see the theme; the home screen displays the date of your expected period, how many days until your period is expected to start, and the cycle day. The more months you use FMC, the better it estimates the start of your period. The stats page keeps track of how many cycles you have used the app, the average length of your cycles, and the shortest and longest cycles you’ve had. Also on the stats page are the past months and how long those cycles were.
FMC is not just about menstrual cycles. On the data page, under the notes, is a section to input fertility data. You can keep track of your temperature, pregnancy test results, the results of your ovulation prediction kits (OPK), and you can enter what supplements and medications you are taking. When you get pregnant, you can turn on pregnancy mode in the settings. Pregnancy mode displays what trimester you are in, the month of your pregnancy, the estimated due date, what week and day you are in your pregnancy, and how many days you have left of the pregnancy.
This new update has really improved the look and stability of the app. Before, the app routinely crashed and lost data, but now the app is a lot more reliable, and the new features make FMC feel like new. Before this app I kept track of my cycles with a small calendar, but I would forget to do so for many months. With FMC, I’ve been tracking my cycle regularly for over a year, and it’s great when I visit my doctor and can state with certainty when my last cycle was.
Free Menstrual Calendar was developed by the makers of FertilityFriend.com and is sold by Tamtris Web Services. The app is rated 12+, but if you have a daughter who begins menstruating under the age of 12, the app is very easy to use. FMC is for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch with iOS 5.1 or later.
