This Is Why Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle Is So Important For Your Health

Many have said that knowledge is power. When it comes to your menstrual cycle, knowledge is much more than power — knowledge is the key to taking care of yourself.

More research points to the benefits of tracking your cycle for your mental, physical, and emotional health, and even for the well-being of your social life. Since women's bodies are constantly changing and undergoing a meticulous cycle in which nearly every hormone is accounted for, it's important to track your period so that you can plan your days most effectively.

Especially for women trying to get pregnant or avoid conceiving, tracking your cycle can help you pinpoint when you're at your most fertile so you can plan accordingly. Since you're most likely to get pregnant five days before you ovulate or one day after, it's wise to know when that is. Many women's ovulation cycles take place 14 days prior to their menstrual cycle, meaning that those days in the middle offer the highest chance of getting pregnant, EveryDay Health reports. However, every system is different — when you use a period tracker, you can get a better sense of when you're ovulating, taking note of the symptoms you experience during this time.

Plus, as Elle explains, your least fertile days of the month are usually the days following the end of your cycle. Knowing that can be incredibly helpful information on its own.

Many tracking apps have sections where you can report your symptoms or any changes in your mood. This information, combined with the exact days when your period started and ended, can give you a clear look into what's going on with your body. EveryDay Health notes that cycle changes may denote issues such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, infection, or even fibroids. Without having tracked your cycle and what's gone on in your body over the last month, you won't have access to this potentially helpful information.

Furthermore, since sleep is a vital component of the way we feel, tracking your cycle can help give you the rest you need. Elle notes that, leading up to the week of your period, your core body temperature rises and you're less likely to fall into deep REM, meaning that you may feel groggy during this time. Alongside bloating and irritability, this time period can coincide with trouble sleeping, according to Elle. So schedule your intense workouts or your big meeting for other times of the month when you're well rested. 

In addition to having tons of health and lifestyle benefits, tracking your cycle can impact your sex life in a positive way. Dr. Dawn Harper tells the outlet, "In weeks two and three, your testosterone and estrogen levels are on the rise. This is the time when women find it easier to achieve intense orgasms, so if you're planning a dirty weekend away, this is the time to book it."