One of the biggest mistakes in health tracking software is the assumption that every person using it has a 28-day menstrual cycle. Even when you specify that your cycle is a little bit longer or shorter, these apps still scale to this “normal” standard. This makes period trackers inaccurate and far too general - rendering them useless if you ask us. Less than 15% of the population has this “normal” cycle length!
During your menstrual cycle, your body completes very specific tasks. The time it takes to complete each task varies per individual and this is why a woman’s cycle can be anywhere from 21 to 42 days.
At My Normative, we look at your normal (hence our name, My Normative!). Yes, women tend to have more energy levels in week two of their cycle. But do YOU have more energy in week two of your cycle? What if your normal is that you feel sluggish at that time? What if it’s different for you every month? You need an interpretation of your data that compares you to yourself, not to other women, and definitely not to a typical, 75kg, 23 year old male!
Our app also includes a great general insights page. There, you’ll find typical observances that women have about their bodies throughout their cycle. Women (at no fault of their own) are undereducated in their own physiology. Though general, these insights are important as they educate us on how female hormones impact appetite, sleep habits and activity levels.
More importantly, the more you use the My Normative app the more these insights will tailor to you and your own experience. It is so useful to have original data that isn’t only collected and stored by an app, but relayed back to you in a way that makes sense.
Here’s to reclaiming what normal really means for you!
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