--- title: Do menstrual tracking apps measure all the symptoms that matter? description: No. Menstrual tracking apps only captured about half of the common symptoms doctors and researchers know matter, and much less of the mood symptoms that affec url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/empirical-validity-of-menstrual-tracking-apps-in-measuring-mood-and-physical-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do menstrual tracking apps measure all the symptoms that matter? Study, 2026 # Do menstrual tracking apps measure all the symptoms that matter? No. Menstrual tracking apps only captured about half of the common symptoms doctors and researchers know matter, and much less of the mood symptoms that affect women. Early or limited evidence Analysis of 46 menstrual tracking apps ## What they did Researchers looked at 46 popular menstrual tracking apps to check whether the symptoms they track matched up with what medical research says are important symptoms. ## What they found The apps captured about 50% of common menstrual cycle symptoms, 42% of PMDD symptoms, and 11% of mood items that researchers use to measure mood. ## What it means for you If you use a menstrual tracking app, it might not track all the symptoms important for understanding your cycle and mood. The main limit is that this just checked what symptoms the apps include. It didn't test whether using these apps actually helps you or how accurate the tracking is. 46 menstrual tracking apps reviewed 50% apps capturing common cycle symptoms 42% apps capturing PMDD symptoms ## About the study Original title Empirical validity of menstrual tracking apps in measuring mood and physical symptoms across the menstrual cycle Authors McCormick KC, Belfield S, Griffith JM et al. Journal Research Square Year 2026 Study design Study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10960717/v1](https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10960717/v1) Original abstract Abstract Menstrual tracking applications (or “apps”) are widely used for everyday tracking of physical and mood symptoms across the menstrual cycle and in recent years data from commercial apps have been utilized by researchers to look at psychological phenomena across the menstrual cycle. In the era of big data, tracking apps may serve as a powerful research tool to better understand mental health dynamics across the menstrual cycle. However, the empirical validity of the tracking applications has not been evaluated for its concordance with valid and commonly utilized psychological measures or clinically relevant menstrual cycle symptoms. The present study extracted the symptoms provided by 46 frequently downloaded menstrual tracking apps to evaluate alignment between app content and known physiological and mood symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle. A total of 2622 decisions were made regarding concordance of the symptoms provided by apps with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a menstrual cycle symptom measure used in research to capture common symptoms across the menstrual cycle, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). We found that, on average, menstrual tracking apps only captured 50% of common menstrual cycle symptoms, 42% of PMDD symptoms, and 11% of PANAS items. These findings highlight the discrepancy between commercially available menstrual tracking apps and the research literature on measurement of menstrual cycle symptoms and mood and emotion. We discuss the implications of these discrepancies and make recommendations for clinicians, researchers, and developers. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Apps and digital interventions](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-digital-health/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2026 Can digital tools help diagnose PMDD? Randomised trial, 2021 Does ulipristal acetate (a progesterone blocker) treat PMDD? Cohort study, 2026 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much physical activity women do? Cohort study, 2024 Can a wearable fitness tracker spot premenstrual disorders by measuring heart rate? Survey study, 2022 How common are premenstrual symptoms, and do they change with age? Case-control study, 2019 Do women with PMDD respond differently to stress? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗