Examining Menstrual Tracking to Inform the Design of Personal Informatics Tools

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Daniel A EpsteinSean A Munson

Abstract

We consider why and how women track their menstrual cycles, examining their experiences to uncover design opportunities and extend the field's understanding of personal informatics tools. To understand menstrual cycle tracking practices, we collected and analyzed data from three sources: 2,000 reviews of popular menstrual tracking apps, a survey of 687 people, and follow-up interviews with 12 survey respondents. We find that women track their menstrual cycle for varied reasons that include remembering and predicting their period as well as informing conversations with healthcare providers. Participants described six methods of tracking their menstrual cycles, including use of technology, awareness of their premenstrual physiological states, and simply remembering. Although women find apps and calendars helpful, these methods are ineffective when predictions of future menstrual cycles are inaccurate. Designs can create feelings of exclusion for gender and sexual minorities. Existing apps also generally fail to consider life stages that women experience, including young adulthood, pregnancy, and menopause. Our findings encourage expanding the field's conceptions of personal informatics.

Citations

Apr 19, 2019·Journal of Medical Internet Research·Brianna Mae GoodaleBrigitte Leeners
Jan 27, 2019·Journal of Medical Internet Research·Deborah Lupton, Sarah Maslen
Aug 26, 2020·Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health·Mary K Barger
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Apr 5, 2019·Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA·Jisan Lee, Jeongeun Kim
Feb 13, 2021·The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care : the Official Journal of the European Society of Contraception·Dawn-Li BlairDavid J McLernon
Feb 20, 2021·Frontiers in Digital Health·Sean A MunsonJames Fogarty
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Jul 14, 2021·JMIR Medical Informatics·Toeresin KarakoyunAgnaldo Lopes Da Silva Filho
Aug 13, 2021·JMIR Mental Health·Stephen M SchuellerDaniel A Epstein
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May 8, 2021··Madeline BalaamMarianela Ciolfi Felice
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May 8, 2021··Grace EdenArpit Bhatia
Jun 11, 2018··Jessica SchroederDaniel A. Epstein
Aug 27, 2018··Judith StephensonAnn Blandford
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Methods Mentioned

BETA
pregnancy
contraceptions

Software Mentioned

Fitbit
Lupton
UbiFit
Skype
Help
Starbucks
Google Calendar
NuvaRing
MyFitnessPal
Labella

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