I’ve never known anyone track their periods

[Forestgreenblue]

I had thyroid cancer 6 years ago. Had half of it removed. Then I had the Covid jab and had a severe hemorrhagic bleed as a side effect. I ended up in hospital and on tablets to stol the bleeding afterwards.

I have ended up in early peri menopause as a combined effort from both. It’s bloody awful but mid month, I get severe ovulation pain and I know it’s that mainly from tracking my symptoms on my Garmin watch, I know my pain is from my body attempting ovulation, and end of the month I get a vague 12-24 hour period. I barely bleed anymore. I mainly use pantyliners now as there is no need for anything else

DP said it’s ‘weird’ that I am tracking my symptoms with my body and Garmin calendar. Does anyone else do this or am I indeed a bit weird?

I don’t take any hormonal contraception as I’d rather know what’s going on in my body- it’s really helpful to know when to anticipate my period and understand if I’m lethargic due to illness or a hormone crash

Always tracked. Also get excruciating ovulation pain, worse than period pain. I'm 40 and my periods last 3-4 days with 2 days max of light period then spotting. My poor 11yo DD has just started and I'd forgotten what proper flow was like.

Goodness, of course you track. My energy and emotions are really hormonally driven. To the extend I batch cook after my period knowing I'll need it before my next one.

Your DP is, charitably, an idiot.

How the hell would he know about how many women track their periods?

FWIW, I have a smart watch that I track on, I've gone through phases my entire life tracking. I don't really need to tbh as I'm regular as clockwork, every 28 days without fail. And like you, I get absolutely crippling ovulation pain so I know when that's happening too. That was a fun development when I turned 30 - didn't actually know what it was, and it was so debilitating I went to the doctor about it.

I fully believe that the calendar we currently use it based around women's cycles rather than anything else.

If you didn't... how would you know when to expect your period...?

Maybe he's paranoid that you're tracking because you want to become pregnant? Either way, he's an idiot.

I don't understand your post. Tracking a cycle is not the same as an illness? And I'm not taking the pill again, I don't need it and I don't want it.

The arrogance of this man, thinking he knows what’s weird when it comes to periods. Does he think Garmin created the tracking facility especially for you? And that no other woman has any interest in having an estimate of when their next period might arrive? Or the length of their cycle? What an absolute pillock.

Haven’t you just lost all respect and desire for him?

My periods always used to come on at full moon - my (x)H never put 2 + 2 together, so this hormonal banshee who suddenly took the place of the sweet thing he married always came as a complete surprise to him.

Even after menopause, followed by a hysterectomy, I still look at the moon and think 'ah yes - that's why I'm so impatient / lethargic / generally pissed off today'.

So you don’t start your period when you’re miles away from the nearest shop, you have no sanitary products on you, no change for a vending machine and you’re wearing your very best knickers and white trousers?

So you can monitor the length of your cycle when you’re peri menopausal?

So when you get to peri menopause and your periods go from a light bleed on the first day then a normal bleed to nothing, followed by flooding, you can be prepared for that?

So you can tell the difference between a period and an unexpected bleed?

So you can monitor spotting and show a dr to help them work out if it’s something that needs further investigation or not?

Twat.
I tracked mine for 40 years.

Is he one of those men that think we all get our periods on the 28th of each month? Because if that were true then none of us would ever have to track!

I track mine, has actually helped me pick up early when my health condition is starting to play up over the yrs

How odd to think it’s weird and an unnecessary comment. Loads of women track their periods. I’ve been doing it for 10 years. It’s incredibly useful.

This reminds me of Phil in modern family who tracked all the women in the house so he was 'ready' lol x

Well he doesn’t track his cycle 😆 but you’re not the only one!

What? When I had periods I liked to know when they were due. Doesn't everyone? What's sarcastic about that?

Monetising hypochondria? 😂 What the fuck are you talking about? How is it hypochondria to want to have a vague idea of when you might start bleeding? Where does money come into it? I’m assuming women would already have watches, a phone or a pen and calendar and haven’t bought them for the specific purpose of tracking their cycle.

And I’m quite surprised that, as a woman, you don’t seem to have any understanding that hormonal contraception isn’t suitable or desirable for huge amounts of women.

I track mine via the garmin app though I no longer use the garmin watch. For the last 4 yeats I have been thinking menopause must be imminent and as the official definition is that it's happened when it's been a year since your last period, I feel I need to know. My cycle length is crazy - anywhere between 20 days and 45 days with no pattern - I used to be as regular as clockwork.

He's the weirdo.

Of course most women track their periods. Why wouldn't they. It's how we know when to expect them and to be prepared. It's also how we know when things are normal or not, or get an idea of whether we might be pregnant or not.

You must be a man if you dont understand the usefulness of tracking when your period is due, surely? From not wearing white trousers to making sure you have a tampon/mooncup on you to, if applicable, tracking for ttc, to blending two months worth of pills into one to avoid a period if you have a sexy weekend away. Do you really not keep track of your periods? I find that hard to believe.

What would he know 😂

If your DP is man then he’s probably typically ignorant and a mansplaining loudmouth.
If your DP is a woman - I’d recommend you leave her as she’s clearly Miss Trunchbull.

I’ve tracked periods since I was 18/20, so we’ll over a decade now !

I've tracked mine since day one when I was 11. I'm now almost 50 and have them every single month. I used a paper diary in the 80s, 90s and 2000s, and now I use my phone diary. I've never not tracked them.

Ive been tracking my cycle for years.

I tracked my periods (in a paper diary because I am old) from when they started at 16 to when they finished at 52. I would have taken a dim view of any man having any opinion whatsoever about this.