Track your menopause: We put three menopause apps to the test 

Menopause apps vary, but most offer some form of symptom tracker or journal as standard. This enables you to log a wide range of symptoms or issues you’re having, which is useful for building an overall picture of your health. Gaele Lalahy, COO of the Balance menopause app, explains how this is useful.  

“It‘s very easy to misdiagnose or to think that what you’re experiencing has nothing to do with anything medical,” she explains. “For example, menopause anxiety is one of the most common symptoms tracked through the app. A lot of users are telling us, ‘Well, before I started to track my symptoms, I thought it was just life’ – dealing with teenagers, parents who have to be taken care of, or maybe a new job. It’s very easy to put your symptoms onto something else and therefore you can miss that it’s actually down to a fluctuation of your hormones.” 

She points out that everything from joint pain to heart palpitations can be a sign of menopause, so it can be difficult to get a full picture. As a result, making a database is practically impossible. “Sometimes, no single symptom is strong enough for you to say OK, I’m just going to talk to the doctor about this,” she says. “When you track your symptoms, suddenly you can create a whole picture of what’s happening. 

“You can also see patterns. Maybe around your period some of the symptoms are getting worse, or maybe when you have a glass of wine, for example, hot flushes get worse the next day. It’s important that women keep checking for a period of time to really understand how their body works and reacts to everything.”  

Most menopause apps also offer informative content alongside the tracking. This can take many forms, such as articles to read, videos or podcasts. Sometimes you’ll need a paid-for subscription to access everything, but the apps we tested all offered a range of content with their free versions. There are also online communities available with some menopause apps, where you can connect with other people going through perimenopause to share tips and support.  

You can start tracking your symptoms at any point in perimenopause, and that information can then be used to help you reach an informed decision (along with your GP) about what treatment may be applicable, if any.  

Zeinab Daugaard, CEO of HerCare, says that tracking is useful to find issues associated with your cycle.  

“Start by tracking your cycle to understand if your symptoms are cyclic or not,” she says, “as this is a good insight for all women. This enables you to predict the phases of your cycle better and in turn plan your daily activities according to your cycle so you can personalise your well–being. Our app also offers individual advice and recommendations based on your individual symptoms so you can get the professional help needed to take control of your symptoms.”

Caitlin Hanley is VP of content strategy for Body Collective, creators of the Mbody app. She says menopause apps offer a chance to discover personalised content based around your perimenopause experience.  

“Tracking your symptoms will help you better understand your body, what your triggers are, and most importantly, what helps reduce those symptoms so you can thrive,” she says. “Mbody makes it easy to track your symptoms on a daily basis with a guided daily check-in. Once you complete that, the app compiles personalised content recommendations for you.”  

Lalahy offers more information on the community message boards that Balance offers: “The community part of the app is extremely popular because menopause can be a lonely place, so by going into the app and talking to other users, you find some moral support. 

“We know that in some communities, it’s very taboo to talk about menopause, so everyone can come here and ask the questions they have and talk to other women who are going through the same thing. I think the community is a huge driver in helping women feel better because they feel they’re being heard.” 

“On the app itself we have over 200 pieces of content written by doctors, and it’s not just general information about menopause. It’s about every single symptom,” says Lalahy. “It’s about menopause and breast cancer, it’s about early menopause, it’s about menopause and HIV. There’s information for absolutely everybody.  

“We’ve had over a million downloads, which makes it the biggest menopause app in the world. It’s also fully accessible for people with visual or hearing impairments, or people who are neurodiverse. We’re accredited by ORCHA (the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health apps) and are part of the NHS app library.”

“I love the Balance app. The daily journal is easy to use, and you can add details about your symptoms, mood, periods and sleep. There’s also the option to add details of exercise, food and drink for an even more comprehensive picture.  

“Any thought that pops into my head or symptom I notice, Balance seems to have something about it, from dry eyes to why strength training is important during menopause. The Balance community is fantastic. There are a range of discussions about all sorts of topics, like what veg causes bloating or what brain games are good for keeping our memories going.” 

“Unfortunately, many women refrain from daily activities due to menopause symptoms. By providing women with the tools to track, detect and act upon the symptoms, we help women through this transition,” Daugaard says. 

“Within the app you can find articles about the different hormonal stages. By unlocking premium, women will also access both the background and the reasons behind their symptoms, plus get recommendations for how to decrease the symptoms.  

“HerCare is the only app that detects hormonal imbalances in perimenopause by using wrist temperature (by connecting with the Apple Watch). We also offer appointments inside the app with doctors, gynaecologists, nurses and nutritionists, but this is only available in Sweden for now.”  

“HerCare has the potential to be a brilliant app, but so much of it is behind a paywall. I felt this was a shame, as the free content is well written and informative. With so much menopause information out there, I don’t need to pay to access what they’re offering. It’s easy to use, with a nice interface, and the app works with my Apple Watch and health data, which is helpful when tracking my cycle and noticing changes in body temperature as I sleep.”

“All content on the Mbody app has been created with our team of women’s health experts, ensuring that all guidance is backed by science. You’ll find everything from strength-training workouts to maintain muscle tone and support bone strength, to hormone-balancing recipes, stress-reducing meditations and breathwork, and informational articles to help you understand what’s going on in your body and live your best life,” Hanley says. 

“Mbody makes it easy to track your menstrual cycles and symptoms, which are then logged to your timeline. Then, you can bring that with you to your appointments to help you and your doctor identify what is going on and what treatments might be right for you.” 

“What set Mbody apart for me was the amount of free exercise content available. Once I’d logged my symptoms each day, the app gave me suggestions of workouts to try, or there’s a whole library to choose from. Some meditations, recipes or videos are behind the paywall, but there’s still a lot available for free. The app is easy to use and detailed in its approach to menopause care.”