🔒 Is Your Period App Spying on You?

How I Learned to Protect My Cycle — and My Privacy

I remember the first time I downloaded a period app. It felt revolutionary — like I was finally taking charge of my body. I logged every cramp, craving, and mood swing. It wasn’t just an app; it felt like a digital diary, one that understood me better than anyone else.

Then, one morning over coffee, I read an article that made my stomach drop.

“Period-tracking apps are quietly sharing sensitive data with advertisers.”

It mentioned how some of the biggest apps — ones millions of women use every day — had been caught passing personal health information to third parties. Data about when we ovulate, have sex, even our moods.

And I thought: that’s my life they’re talking about.

When Awareness Hits Different

At first, I wanted to believe it wasn’t true. But curiosity got the better of me. I started looking closer at my own app’s settings — and what I found was eye-opening.

Hidden under “Permissions,” there it was: Location access, Microphone access, Contact permissions

Why would a period tracker need my location or microphone?

I clicked the privacy policy (something I’d never read before) and realised how much fine print there was about “partners,” “data analytics,” and “personalised content.” All fancy words for: your data isn’t staying here.

I Started Digging Deeper

I went down the research rabbit hole — and what I found shocked me.

A 2024 King’s College London study found that many female health apps were sharing highly sensitive data with third parties, sometimes even without users’ clear consent. Another Cambridge University report called menstrual data a “gold mine for advertisers,” warning that our cycles were being used to target us more precisely.

One analysis of 45 popular FemTech apps revealed over half included third-party tracking tools — bits of hidden code that quietly send usage data to advertisers, analytics companies, or social platforms.

And as I read, one line stuck with me:

“The majority of women’s health apps request permissions far beyond what’s necessary for their core function.” (Source: arXiv, 2025 — Unveiling Privacy and Security Gaps in Female Health Apps)

That’s when I realised — tracking my body shouldn’t mean giving away my privacy.

Reclaiming Control

I didn’t want to stop tracking altogether — it had been such a powerful tool for my self-awareness. But I also didn’t want to hand over my personal data like a diary left open in a café.

So I started making changes, one step at a time:

• I deleted my old app and found one with anonymous mode and end-to-end encryption.

• I turned off location sharing and advertising permissions in my phone settings.

• I began keeping a paper tracker again — a simple printable page from HerRhythm where I could log mood, energy, and flow without a digital footprint.

And honestly? It felt liberating.

There was something grounding about writing it by hand — like returning to the intimacy of self-connection, without an audience.

Why This Conversation Matters

For some, this might sound like a small issue — but women’s health data isn’t just “numbers.” It’s our hormones, our moods, our bodies — it’s us.

In a world where reproductive rights are still a political debate, it matters who has access to that data. Privacy isn’t paranoia. It’s protection.

A 2025 UCL report put it perfectly:

“Reproductive data should never be treated as a commodity — it is a matter of bodily autonomy.”

That’s why I believe awareness is empowerment. Not to create fear, but to help us make informed choices. Because you deserve to understand what’s happening behind the screen of something that claims to “empower women.”

Your Body. Your Data. Your Choice.

So here’s my invitation to you: Before you open your period app tonight, take a moment to look at the settings. See what permissions it’s using. Ask yourself — does it really need access to all that?

And if it doesn’t feel right, trust that instinct. Because empowerment starts with awareness — not just of your cycle, but of your digital rhythm too.

Your data is valuable. Your privacy is powerful.

 And you deserve tools that honour both.

🌿 Download the HerRhythm Printable Cycle Tracker — no logins, no data sharing, just you and your rhythm.

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