In addition to tracking the day that periods
In addition to tracking the day that periods start, Dr. Myda Luu, area specialty chief of ob-gyn for Kaiser Permanente, recommends that people who menstruate track “cycle duration, frequency and flow,” as well as “associated symptoms such as severe cramping, pain with intercourse, bleeding between periods, changes in mood during the menstrual cycle and migraines.” That’s because these symptoms can be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of several different health conditions. Without tracking, women may miss changes that are important to their overall health, especially if those changes are subtle or happen gradually. Even if a woman doesn’t have immediate health concerns and isn’t worried about getting pregnant, monitoring periods can help establish a baseline that may be useful later. Symptoms that indicate a problem for one woman may be completely normal for another, depending on her health history. Luu explains that “knowing the first day of your last menstrual period...