Choosing a teen period tracker
Which is the best?
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
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.
Teens often also ask whether their period can come earlier or end faster – we cover the facts in guides on how to get a period earlier and how to make a period end faster.
2. Get some reassurance on moods
Cycle tracking often throws up patterns in how we feel (you can read more about how teen hormones affect periods, skin and mood).
It helps teens predict symptoms, anticipate mood swings (here’s our guide to helping teens with PMS mood swings), and plan activities accordingly.
And if your teen struggles with cramps, you may find our guides on period pain relief ideas and the best painkiller for teen period cramps helpful.
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 (our medical guide to a teen skincare routine can help here), changing up eating habits (see our guide to the best foods to eat on a period), 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 (our guide to signs of a heavy menstrual period in teens explains when heaviness is normal vs. worth checking).
Or it could be things like irregular periods – we explain more about why teens often have irregular periods in the early years of puberty, if you're interested too!
By keeping track of these symptoms, 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 – especially if you’re noticing any signs your daughter is about to start her period.
A holistic approach helps them see the full picture of how their body works – our guide on menstrual cycle phases breaks this down.
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.
And if you’re concerned about privacy, age-appropriateness, or data-security, have a read of our teen period tracker app safety guide to help you choose wisely.
So, what’s the best period tracker app for teens?
Now that you know what to look for in a period tracker app, hopefully you're feeling more ready to pick one for your pre-teen or teen.
There are thousands of period trackers out there, but guess how many are specifically designed in collaboration with teens, parents, safeguarding experts and doctors?
Only one.
And that’s us: luna, the digital big sister your teen needs (“we are luna” on app stores)!
luna offers a period tracking feature, and the app is free to download!
With the luna app, your teen can:
- Learn about their body and growing up
- Track their mood, skin, sleep, symptoms and periods (if they've started)
- Set reminders for changing period products (here’s a helpful guide on how long teens can safely wear each type of period product), drinking water and upcoming periods
- Ask anonymous questions to experts, and read through moderated questions from other, likeminded teens
- Build healthy habits that help them feel more empowered through adolescence
Whether you choose luna or another period tracker for your teen, we hope this article helped you learn more about the benefits of period tracking from an early age.
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. And if you’re seeing early changes, here are the signs your daughter is about to start her first period.
And if you’re stocking up on essentials, our guide on where to buy teen period products can help you compare brands and options made for younger teens.
How we created this article:
luna's team of experts comprises GPs, Dermatologists, Safeguarding Leads and Junior Doctors as well as Medical Students with specialised interests in paediatric care, mental health and gynaecology. All articles are created by experts, and reviewed by a member of luna's senior review team.
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