Period tracking for teens: must know for parents

Choose the best period tracker app for your teen

Quick summary

• Tracking periods helps teens stay prepared, understand mood changes, and spot patterns in their health and wellbeing
• The best teen period tracker should be age-appropriate, holistic, and engaging
• Encouraging menstrual cycle tracking early empowers teens to take charge of their health, building confidence and awareness over time

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Many adult menstruators struggle to keep track of their period cycle without a handy tracking app.

And so it may come as no surprise if your pre-teen or teen is having a hard time understanding and taking charge of their periods.

But this can change very easily with a period tracker.

With so many period-tracking apps available, it’s completely understandable if you feel unsure about choosing the best period tracker app for your teen. 

In this blog, we’ll discuss the best period tracker for teens in more detail.

So keep reading to learn about the benefits of period trackers, what features to look for, and, most importantly, how to choose the best period tracker app for your teen.

How can cycle tracking benefit teens?

Older menstruators who want to conceive or try to keep an eye on perimenopause signs often benefit greatly from period trackers.

However, the benefits are not limited to them. 

Your pre-teen or teen daughter might find a period-tracking app super helpful, too.

Here are some of the key benefits of a period tracker for teens.

Some benefits of a teen period tracker include…

1. Being prepared for a period

luna gets a lot of worried teens asking medics in luna’s anonymous Q&A feature about what to do if they get an unexpected period.

Cycle tracking  helps them be prepared, avoiding unexpected periods catching them off guard.

2. Get some reassurance on moods

Cycle tracking often throws up patterns in how we feel.

It helps us to predict symptoms, anticipate mood swings, and plan activities accordingly

3. Supports in wellbeing proactivity

In short, this could be things like adjusting skincare based on when in a cycle skin gets oilier or dryer, changing up eating habits, and even exercise patterns.

4. Notice when something isn’t “normal”

What’s normal for one person is unique to them.

This could be things like the length and heaviness of a period or even being stuck in a particular mindset for a long period of time.

By keeping track of these symptoms and feelings, teens know when it’s a good idea to seek help from a trusted adult or a medical professional.

It also prevents teens from going to Dr. Google for their symptoms, and receiving an inaccurate diagnosis when really it’s normal for them and their stage of development

4 key features to look for in a period tracker for teens 

Every period tracker offers different benefits to the user.

What’s important to consider is whether it’s tailored to the user and fully suits their needs at their current stage of life. 

For example, a teen might want to see different things and get different prompts compared to  an adult who has different goals and needs.

Things to consider when finding the best period tracker app for teens…

1. It's holistic and not just about periods

A helpful period tracker for teens should help them beyond tracking periods only.

It should allow your teen to monitor other cycle-related changes like mood swings, skin breakouts, sleep patterns, or energy levels. 

It can be particularly beneficial for your teen if they haven’t started their period yet but want to learn about their body to prepare ahead.

A holistic approach helps them see the full picture of how their body works and fosters a sense of body literacy early on.

2. Age-appropriate and insightful

Since most period trackers are built targeting adults, they often strongly focus on conception, pregnancy, hormonal birth control, etc.

But that’s not something that’ll keep your teen interested enough to keep using the app. 

Instead, the ideal period tracker app for your teen should offer age-appropriate insights in addition to period tracking.

These include explanations about what’s happening in their bodies, gentle reminders, and tips written in teen-friendly language.

3. Free and accessible

The best period tracker apps for teens should offer helpful functionalities in their free versions.

For example, a free menstrual period calculator, basic symptom tracking, and calendar view should all be accessible without hidden paywalls so teens can track their periods consistently without stress. 

4. Engaging and user-friendly

When we talk about our Gen Alpha and Gen Z teens, design matters!

Teens are more likely to stick with an app that feels fun, intuitive, and tailored to them. 

Whether it’s cute graphics, a friendly tone, or simple features that make logging easy, the app should be something they want to use – not just something they feel like they have to use. 

Gamified elements or gentle daily check-ins can help build a healthy routine without pressure.

So, what’s the best period tracker app for teens?

Now that you know what to look for in a period tracker app, we assume you're feeling more ready to select one for your pre-teen or teen.

Needless to say, there are thousands of period trackers out there, but guess how many are specifically designed in collaboration with teens, and verified by doctors?

Only one.

And that’s us: luna, the digital big sister your teen needs. (“we are luna” on app stores)! 

luna offers a free period tracking feature, and the app is free to download, so they can use it as much as they want without limits.

And that’s not all.

With luna, your teen can: 

• Learn about their body with age-appropriate insights
• Get daily wellness tips designed specifically for teens
• Set gentle reminders for hydration, rest, or upcoming cycles 
• Explore fun and educational content about growing up
• Ask anonymous questions in the community
• Build healthy habits through engaging, teen-friendly design

Rated 4.8

Empower your teen today. Subscribe them to luna.

Find out more

Regardless of whether you choose luna or another period tracker for your teen, we hope this article helped you learn how to help your teen.

What's important is that you encourage your teen or pre-teen get into the cycle of tracking from an early age, so they can feel more confident in their cycles.

It’s super important we empower teens to take charge of their physical and mental health, and cycle tracking is a key part of that.

Make sure to check out our guide on what to pack in a first-period kit for your teen if they're just starting out, too!