The Oova app includes various features that can be tracked, and they all play a unique role in understanding your hormones, cycle, fertility, or perimenopause journey (depending on what Oova kit you're using!).
To make selections on which features to track, go to Account > Journal & Logging > Toggle ON/OFF whichever features you would like.
Here's what you can track with Oova and why they're important to your cycle.
General features
Period
Your period is one of the most important pieces of information you need to log in to the app. This critical component of our algorithm enables you to scan on specific days. It tells us when Cycle Day 1 is and enables us to estimate when your fertile window will be.
Period flow is also a vital sign of your health and you can track within the app. Oova has a few different options to identify your flow:
- Spotting: Blood only appears upon wiping and doesn't require a pad/tampon
- Light: Bleeding requires a panty line or less than 1 pad/tampon in more than 3 hours
- Moderate: Bleeding requires more than 1 pad/tampon in 3 hours
- Heavy: Bleeding requires 1-2 pads/tampons in less than 3 hours
Breakthrough bleeding
Bleeding sometimes happens outside of your period; it's often lighter and only appears when you wipe. Logging breakthrough bleeding can help you better understand your cycle.
Cervical fluid/mucus
Cervical mucus is a fluid produced by the cervix that changes throughout your menstrual cycle. The cervical mucus consistency directly results from your hormone levels, so tracking how cervical mucus changes throughout your cycle can be informative. For example, egg-white cervical mucus indicates fertility.
Cervical position
Your cervical position may change during different parts of your cycle. For example, around ovulation your cervix may feel softer and higher up in your abdomen. You can check the position of your cervix by inserting one or two fingers into your vagina and checking for the location and firmness.
Temperature
Your basal body temperature (BBT) is the temperature of your body at rest. Basal body temperature can increase slightly after you've ovulated. To accurately measure your basal body temperature, check your BBT at the same time each day and record your temperature to two decimal changes.
Breast tenderness
Your breasts may feel more tender at different stages of your cycle. Tracking changes can help identify how your hormones affect feelings of breast tenderness.
Nausea
Nausea can be caused by a number of factors, including your hormones. Tracking your nausea can help you identify if your nausea is connected to your shifting hormones.
Cramps
Cramps can be caused by prostaglandins, which are released during menstruation. You may feel cramping as part of your premenstrual symptoms or at other parts in your cycle. Tracking your cramps can help you identify patterns around when your cramps tend to occur.
Back pain
Back pain can also be connected changing hormone levels. Tracking your back pain can help you identify if your back pain is connected to your shifting hormones.
Headache
Headaches can happen due to a variety of reasons, including because of shifting hormones during your cycle. Monitoring your headaches alongside your hormone levels can help you better predict and prevent when symptoms may occur.
Head hair
Your skin and scalp can change in response to hormonal changes. Tracking changes to your hair can help you understand if they're due to hormonal shifts.
Body hair growth
Hormone changes and fluctuations can cause changes in body hair growth. You may notice growth in your face, chest, breast, back, armpits, and public area.
Skin changes
As estrogen and progesterone fluctuate, you may notice changes in your skin's appearance and sensitivity. Monitoring how your skin looks and feels can help you understand if changes are due to your cycle.
Acne
Sometimes, imbalances in estrogen and testosterone levels can lead to acne. Tracking your breakouts can help you identify triggers and get the treatment you need.
Stool
Stool is what's left of ingested food after digestion. Tracking your bowel habits can help you understand if gastrointestinal symptoms are connected to a certain phase of your cycle.
Cravings
Cravings for specific foods may arise at different parts of your cycle due to hormone fluctuations.
Digestion
Digestion happens when your body breaks down food into nutrients. Your digestion may change at different parts of your cycle.
Bloating
Bloating is a feeling of fullness. While bloating can happen after eating to specific foods or food quantities, it can also be linked to hormone changes.
Urination frequency and incontinence
Hormone changes may affect how often (or less often) you urinate.
Sexual activity
If you're trying to conceive, you can track your sexual activity to understand how the timing of your sexual activity compares to your fertile window.
Painful sex
Pain during sex may be a result of hormonal imbalances. Keeping track of your painful intercourse episodes can help you identify if there's a pattern.
Sex drive
Sometimes, hormones may affect your libido. Tracking your sex drive can help you understand if hormones may be the cause.
Exercise intensity
Exercise can affect your menstrual cycle. Tracking when you're exercising and the intensity of that effort can help you understand how it may change your cycle.
Exercise perceived effort
You may have various perceptions of your exercise effort level at different points in your cycle. That's because hormone changes may make some workouts feel harder or easier than usual.
Sleep
Getting enough sleep each night is critical to one's physical and emotional health and well-being. Tracking sleep, including your hours of sleep, sleep quality, and dreams can help you understand how your sleep changes throughout your cycle.
Mood
Hormone changes have various effects on your mood. It's important to keep track of mood changes to understand if there's a pattern. Within the Oova app, you can track various aspects of your mood, including:
- Anxiety: feelings of fear, dread, or uneasiness
- Motivation: how driven you feel to get things done
- Productivity: your ability to get things done, whether at work or in your personal life
- Focus: the ability to concentrate
- Energy: how much strength and vitality you have
- Stress: emotional strain or tension
- Mood stability: how consistent (or inconsistent) your moods are, and how quickly they change
Birth control pill
If you take an oral birth control pill, tracking your usage can help you understand how your body reacts to the pill.
Medication
Some medications can affect different aspects of your cycle. Tracking medication can provide answers on how it may affect your cycle and give important context when looking at your data.
Injection
Tracking the use of hormonal injections can help you understand how your body responds to those injections.
Ailment
Common illnesses like colds or the flu, or minor injuries like a sprained ankle, can provide context for unusual patterns or changes in your cycle.
Vitamins and supplements
If you take vitamins or supplements to treat cycle-related symptoms, tracking your intake can help you figure out if the vitamins or supplements are having their intended effect.
Drinking and hangover
Drinking alcohol can affect your cycle and cycle-related symptoms. Tracking your intake can help you understand if drinking is having a negative effect on your cycle.
You can also track hangovers, which can impact your day-today. This can help you understand the overall impact of a hangover on your health.
Cannabis
Like alcohol, cannabis may affect your cycle and cycle-related symptoms. Tracking your intake can help you understand if cannabis is having a negative effect on your cycle.
Pregnancy test
By logging your pregnancy test results, you'll not only understand your own fertility journey, but also contribute to Oova's analysis of success rates.
Perimenopause features
If you are monitoring perimenopause, we highly recommend you track the following features in your journal:
- Hot flashes: Hot flashes are often the first sign of perimenopause. Tracking hot flashes can help you determine if they happen at particular points in your cycle.
- Joint pain: Joint pain can be caused by fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone. Tracking joint pain can help you identify whether your pain is connected to your shifting hormone levels.
- Migraines: Migraine can be triggered by fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels. Tracking migraine symptoms can help you identify your triggers and develop a treatment plan.
- Brain fog: Brain fog can occur due to hormone changes throughout the cycle or during perimenopause. Tracking brain fog can help you determine whether the symptom worsens over time.
- Memory problems: Memory problems can come from shifts in hormone levels over time. Tracking memory problems can help you figure out if you need to make lifestyle changes to improve your memory.
- Stress: Stress is a feeling of physical or emotional tension. A number of factors, including work, relationships, finances, and health problems, can cause it. Tracking stress can help identify whether it may be impacting your fertility.
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Painful urination: Painful urination can be caused by hormonal changes, including those that occur during menopause. Tracking this can help you identify if the pain is linked to hormones, and if necessary, get the guidance you need from a doctor.
Notes
You can also add any extra notes to keep track of information that may not be covered in the features listed above.