By Iolee Anagnostopoulou

Welcome to the age of period health apps, where tracking your menstrual cycle has gone digital! Let’s admit it, upcoming period reminders and fertility window calculators can be pretty handy. Those with busy lifestyles, in particular, find it an empowering practice that assists them in being more aware of their menstrual health. 

Not to ruin the mood, but did you know the menstrual information you share might be sailing through choppy privacy waters? 

The more digitised our information becomes, the more our privacy seems to turn into an endangered species. We are marching further into unfamiliar terrain, where an individual’s core “right to privacy” is not only disregarded but also where their health choices, online activities, and even whereabouts are consistently gathered, observed, and traded. With period health apps gaining popularity, a looming question arises: Is our health data being exploited? 

The Rise Of Period Health Apps

Cycle tracking apps store and assess data such as historical menstruation records, sleep cycles, heart rate, basal body temperature, and cervical fluid. When you input this information into the app, it analyses the data to generate predictions about the timing of your future periods and ovulation. 

Although it takes time to build a good level of accuracy, popular benefits range from predicting fertile windows for family planning to helping manage overall reproductive health. The numbers speak volumes; period-tracking apps have an estimated user base of 50 million downloads worldwide and are the second most popular app among adolescent females. 

The Controversy Surrounding Period Health App Data Privacy

Enter the uncharted territory where your fundamental right to privacy collides with the digital era’s insatiable appetite for personal information. Recent events, such as the United States Supreme Court restricting women’s right to have an abortion, have ignited concerns about the safety of reproductive health data. 

Social media platforms are not immune to these controversies; abortion-related resources are facing censorship, while Facebook collects and shares sensitive personal information with anti-abortion organisations. Google is evolving into a cornerstone of American law enforcement and investigative activities. 

The past serves as a haunting reminder of what could go wrong. From Mississippi to Texas, cases of women being charged with murder based on online searches for abortion pills and nurse reports on “self-induced abortion” demonstrate the potential misuse of menstrual health data. The stakes are high, and the consequences can be too real depending on which part of the planet you’re on.

How Period Health Apps May Be Using Your Data

Sharing sensitive health information through period health apps carries inherent risks. The question isn’t just about data collection but the potential consequences of its misuse. A 2019 study featured in the BMJ revealed that 79% of health apps accessible on the Google Play store consistently shared user data and lacked transparency. 

The murky waters deepen when we consider how period health apps may use your menstrual data. With most femtech apps escaping the umbrella of national standards for safeguarding medical records, your data could end up being sold to tech and insurance companies, or worse, in the hands of law enforcement agencies seeking evidence against abortion practices. 

Protecting Your Data While Using Period Health Apps

The thing with data is that once it’s out there, it can never really be erased. And, as any cybersecurity expert will agree, anonymous or incognito doesn’t ever mean unidentifiable. The decision to keep your data 100% private boils down to a simple choice: to app or not to app. If you decide to stick to digital period-tracking, there are steps you can take to protect your data:

  • Choose Wisely: Read the privacy policy of your chosen app, focusing on the “use/disclosure” section for circumstances under which your data may be disclosed and to whom (data brokers, social media companies, law enforcement, etc). Apps like Cycle Tracking, FEMN, and Spot On collect less data than Flo, Eve, Flow, and Ovia.
  • Manage Privacy Settings: Manage your privacy settings meticulously, turning off certain options and unnecessary cookies.
  • Turn Off Location-Tracking: Disable any location-tracking apps on your mobile devices and tablets, or consider leaving them at home altogether to avoid potential geo-location tracking.
  • Share Information Cautiously: Exercise caution in discussing your pregnancy or abortion intentions, both online and offline. If you must engage in sensitive conversations, opt for an encrypted messaging platform like Signal. 

In a world where the right to privacy is increasingly threatened, period health apps add another layer of complexity. As women, understanding how our sensitive reproductive data is used and the risks involved are paramount towards safeguarding our digital health. 

So be discerning in your app choices, scrutinise privacy policies, and consider the broader implications. As you navigate the digital waves of menstrual tracking, remember that informed decisions are your best defence.