Wearables, Cycles, and the Alert That Should Exist

Let’s talk tech. Specifically: wearables - those little devices we strap to our wrists that count our steps, track our sleep, and occasionally call 911 when we sit at our desk for 6 hours straight.

For us gals they’re also helping us track our cycles and begin to understand the WTF of perimenopause and beyond.

Yes, even your Apple Watch is now part of the menopause conversation. No, it still won’t tell you what you came into the room looking for….but it’s trying.

For our Peri Sisters: Tracking Your Cycle with Apple Health

Here’s what actually exists right now  - and it’s worth using:

Your Apple Watch (paired with the Health app) has a cycle tracking feature. You can enter:

• Periods (if you still get them)

• Symptoms (cramps, fatigue, mood swings, crying at dog food commercials)

• Basal body temp (tracked automatically while you sleep with the Series 8 or newer)

The cool part?If your temperature shifts and your cycle becomes irregular or disappears altogether, it can give you a pattern over time that suggests you’re entering menopause.

It’s not diagnostic (yet), but it’s one more breadcrumb trail to help you confirm that nope, you’re not losing it -  your hormones are just exiting stage right. Slowly yet chaotically.

Now the Dream Tech:

The Hot Flash Forecast App I Wish Existed

You know what would be revolutionary?

An Apple Watch alert that taps your wrist and says: “Hot flash in 90 seconds. Consider removing your sweater and find the nearest refrigerated section.”

Can you imagine?

• You’d have time to prep a fan.

• Open a window.

• Put your iced coffee somewhere strategic.

• Step out of the meeting before you start sporting a sweat moustache.

It could be called: FlashCast  - your personal hot flash radar.

Let’s be real.  We have watches that tell us when to stand, breathe, move, wake-up and hydrate. But when to panic-disrobe in Target? Now that’s useful tech.

Until Then, What Can You Track?

If you’re in perimenopause or postmenopause, your wearable can still be really helpful. Start tracking:

• Sleep disruptions (hello, 3 a.m. brain party or pee break)

• Heart rate spikes (some people feel a racing heart before a hot flash hits)

• Body temp trends (if you’ve got a newer Apple Watch or Oura Ring)

• Mood swings (yes, rage counts)

  
  

Patterns = power. The more you know, the more you can maybe prepare. Or at least laugh about it later.

Tech + Menopause = Our Future

Jokes aside - here’s the real story: Wearables are finally moving past step counts and starting to support real women's health.

The more we talk about what we need - like hot flash alerts, hormone level evaluations, lifting day flags based on muscle responsiveness, and cycle tracking that doesn’t assume we’re trying to get pregnant - the more developers will build it.

So yeah, I want an app that tells me I’m about to burst into flames. But I also want a world where wearables are built for the Second Act, not just the first.

 Good and Bad Summary:

• Yes, your Apple Watch can help track cycles and some symptoms.

• No, it doesn’t (yet) tell you when your hot flash is coming... but it should.

• Yes, I will beta test the first app that does.

• And yes, I’d still like credit and royalties when someone builds it.

  
  

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or untrackable.