The 5 best women’s health apps

With the amount of health apps and devices out there, it’s more common than ever to have at least one health app downloaded on your phone. And when it comes to women’s health, there are now more apps than ever that claim to track ovulation, fertility and help with other issues. When it comes to health apps, it’s important to find apps that are reliable and accurate. Keep reading to find out five of the best women’s health apps worth checking out.

Eve Period Tracker

No list of the best women’s health apps can be complete without a period tracker. If you’re looking for a period tracking app that offers an array of benefits, the Eve Period Tracker app could be a great choice for you. Eve allows you to learn more about your own fertility. Glow, one of the most used fertility tracking apps, created the Eve app. But they designed Eve with period tracking in mind. Unlike other apps, Eve goes deeper and let’s users log in their sex habits, type of discharge and flow intensity. The app also keeps track of your cycle history and past ovulations dates, to better understand how your body works. A calendar view on app will show you your next fertile window, ovulation day and upcoming period. Eve has a large community, which is the same as Glow’s, that allows users to communicate and learn from one another. The app is available for bout iOS and Android.

Maven Clinic

The Maven Clinic app is a virtual clinic dedicated to women’s and family health. Many women don’t have access to licensed providers, prescription services and other health resources due to issues like lack of insurance. This app allows Maven Clinic to connect such women with those resources. CEO of Maven Clinic Katie Ryder’s goal for this app is to provide women with personalized health information and great healthcare. Through the app, you can access gynecological care, mental health resources, fertility experts and more. Maven Clinic is free to download. And all users can post questions on a forum and receive answers from healthcare professionals. But you do have to pay for an actual virtual consultation. This app is a more affordable way to access medical help, with appointments starting at $18.

“Our model, where all our members get unlimited access to our telemedicine network in all of our programs – it is very unique tat we don’t bill per visit, we bill per program,” said Ryder. “So the whole point of the program is to drive an outcome.”

The Maven Clinic App is available for both iOS and Android.

Natural Cycles

Natural Cycles is the first birth control app cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This app claims to be a hormone-free birth control that comes with zero side-effects. Natural Cycles works by using an algorithm that learns the pattern of your cycles. It then predicts your fertile window. Natural Cycles predicts this based on basal body temperature readings and other data you imput into the app. Basal body thermometers are able to detect a slight rise in temperature, only about half of a degree Fahrenheit, around ovulation time. The app is an annual subscription service that comes with a thermometer to take your temperature every morning.

After you take your temperature, enter the information into the app. Natural Cycle will analyze the data, letting you know whether today is a red (fertile) day or green (not fertile) day. According to the FDA, a clinical study showed that Natural Cycles was 93% in preventing pregnancy for over 15,000 women. Natural Cycles is available for iOS as well as Android.

myPill

myPill is an app designed specifically for those who take the pill form of birth control. Forgetfulness is the main reason why birth control pills aren’t fully effective, and myPill makes sure to remind you daily to take the pill. The app claims you’ll never miss a pill again, and encourages you to feel “truly worry free.” myPill allows you to snooze your reminder, but will keep ringing until you’ve confirmed that you’ve taken the pill. It also lets you know how protected you are, based on your pill taking history. The app doesn’t only remind you take your birth control. It also includes features like automated appointments, prescription refills, and checkup reminders. myPill is available for iOS and Android.

Becca Breast Cancer Support

This app offers support for those living with, or moving forward from breast cancer. Becca Breast Cancer Support offers strategies, hints ad tips to “empower and equip” you for life after treatment. The app, developed by the UK charity Breast Cancer Now, also contains daily information and support from bloggers, specialists and other trusted online sources. The app’s easy-to-use flashcards present information about and support for symptoms, exercise, food and hobbies.  On Becca, you can also find daily blogs written by people currently living with breast cancer, used to motivate and help you better understand symptoms and feelings. This app is available for download on iOS and Android.