3. After deleting the application, ask the application vendor to delete your data. Just because you removed an app from your phone doesn’t mean the company got rid of your records. In fact, California is the only state where they are legally obligated to delete your data. However, many companies are willing to delete it on demand. Here’s a helpful guide from the Washington Post that guides you through how you can do this.
Here’s how to safely track your period without an app.
1. Use the table. It is relatively easy to recreate period tracking functions in a spreadsheet by listing the dates of your past periods and determining the average length of time from the first day of one to the first day of the next. You can refer to one of the many templates already available online, such as the menstrual tracking program created by Aufrichtig and the menstrual cycle calendar and the menstrual tracking program created by Laura Cutler. If you enjoy the scientific aspect of menstrual applications, the templates offer the ability to send reminders of upcoming menstruation, record symptoms, and monitor blood flow.
2. Use a digital calendar. If spreadsheets make your head spin and your whole life is already in the digital calendar, try to make menstruation a recurring event, suggests Emory University student Alexa Mohsenzadeh, who made a TikTok video demonstrating the process.
Mohsenzadeh says she doesn’t miss apps. “I can adjust this to my needs and add notes on how I feel and see if it has anything to do with my period,” she says. “You only have to enter it once.”
3. Go analog and use a notebook or paper planner. We are a technology publication, but the fact is that the safest way to prevent your menstrual data from being made available to others is to download it offline. You can invest in a paper planner or simply use a notebook to keep track of your period and how you are feeling.
If this sounds like too much work for you, and you’re looking for a simple template without the nonsense, try the free printable menstrual cycle diary available at the University of British Columbia’s Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research Center.
4. If your state is unlikely to ban abortion, you may still be able to safely use the menstrual monitoring app. The key thing will be to choose one that has clear privacy settings and that has publicly promised not to share user data with the authorities. Quintin says Clue is a good option because it complies with EU privacy laws and has put it on record with his promise not to share information with authorities.
