Flo is an app for every girl, woman or person that menstruates, to help track their period, future cycles and when they ovulate.
The name Flo, is quite fitting because the app gives a vibe of the friendly nurse from school, gently checking in on you each day, but also with an air of wise and firm reassurance.
The app uses machine learning and data analysing techniques to give personal advice and insights. I think generally having awareness of your cycle is beneficial, one of the reasons being that it helps to legitimise that irrational fit of rage when you miss the bus, or burst into tears because you burnt your toast. Simply being reminded that you are in the luteal (winter) phase and therefore all internal tantrums are justified, is quite comforting.
It's up to you how much information you give. I tend to log the top line stats such as mood and symptoms as frequently as I can. Obviously the more information you give, the better the predictions, so if you're feeling more ‘in-tune’ and dedicated, you can log anything from physical activity, vaginal discharge, sex drive, water intake, ovulation tests to pregnancy tests and more.
Like everything, there is a paywall. In Flo’s case, becoming a premium member (£39.99/year) allows you to have extras like daily updates as to how fluctuations in your body’s rhythm are linked to your cycle and hormone levels. This one can help you construct your daily/weekly/monthly plans so that you are always the best self you can be. Basically, if you can’t be arsed to go for a run two days before your period, don’t, Flo will tell you that you should prioritise self-care (bed).
This might be a benefit worth paying for, although some people might find it annoying too. Daily notifications telling you how you ‘might’ be feeling can sometimes be mis-leading or become self fulfilling. For example, if you’re sitting at your desk at work, you get a notification ‘you may notice cravings’, suddenly you’re instantly ravenous. Same goes for ones like ‘you might experience irritability’ – straight away your flatmates are pissing you off or you are ‘likely’ to have a headache, automatically searing migraine sets in.
I guess it comes down to using Flo, like you would the wise school nurse. Accept her guidance but don’t put your life in her hands. Another great plus of Flo is that your data is protected, which means it is safe from being sold for marketing and advertising purposes - a genuinely wild thought, given that period tracker apps know when you’re at your most sad, happy, energetic, frisky etc - the room for manipulation is rife.
The only thing that jars is that the two founders are male, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the engagement people have with apps like Flo, the better their understanding of their bodies, which can only be a good thing.
