Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash
It wasn’t a concept that long ago – having to monitor and track who you slept with. But now, in the era of sexual health awareness and positivity, technology has given us an easy way to remember the details (without the creepy black book of conquests).
WHY FOLLOW YOUR SEXUAL HISTORY?
It doesn’t have to be about how many people you bang every week. It also doesn’t have to be only about how to have a baby. There are plenty of things you should follow. Some can be as simple as reminding you when to have your next STI check or when you need to get more birth control. Some are just databases with useful information.
We take care of every other part of our body, the sexual stuff should have attention too.
WHAT SHOULD YOU TRACK?
Well, that’s really up to you and what you want/need.
- Do you have irregular periods?
- Are you going through menopause and forget your appointments?
- Are your PMS symptoms hard to remember or all over the place?
- Do you want to remember who gave you that STI?
- Need advice on a position because of a disability or injury?
- Want to brush up on your general sex knowledge?
Personally, I find my period tracker useful not just for knowing when to plan my social life, but when I will experience mood swings (and therefore avoid stressful situations if possible).
HOW CAN YOU TRACK IT?
“There’s an app for that” might be an old joke by now, but it’s also pretty much the gospel truth of smart device users and programmers. And, when it comes to sexual health, there are plenty to choose from (even with Google, Apple, and other distributors putting a squash on anything even connected to the word sex).
You COULD just keep a notebook – Pinterest has lots of fun ideas to make note-keeping less snore-worthy. But there are some cool programs out there…
PERIOD TRACKER – Many to choose from. They track your past flows, predict your future ones, show fertile periods, and allow note-taking for anything irregular or important. One interesting thing is the ability to add what moods you’re feeling or what foods/flavors you’re craving.
BREAST EXAM TRACKER – A daily or weekly guide and note keeper on your breast exams – including instructions on teaching you how to actually do it.
FERTILITY – Yes, the period trackers have this. But if you’re going for a baby, there are a ton of apps specifically made for this.
STI TRACKER – Birth control and protection are not 100% – unless you’re celibate for your entire life. It makes sense in this day and age to monitor any infections you might get. This doesn’t only have to include things like gonorrhea, but it can also include simple and common things like yeast infections.
PARTNER TRACKER – It might sound stalker-ish and like that little-black-book I mentioned earlier, but if you have an active sex life, a partner tracker is important. You can monitor when you’ve had sex, if it was protected or not, what birth control you used, if you needed emergency birth control, or if you ended up with any pain/discomfort/infections after.
Yes, some literally let you add how long you had sex, how good it was, where this person lives, and I think one or two can link to “body activity” sensors to know how many calories you burned.
You also probably noticed I haven’t included any specific links – this is mostly because I see many of them pop up and disappear. I bet this is because it’s hard to find a platform to distribute from that doesn’t punish sexual-themed apps.
My suggestion?
Think about what part of your sexual life and health you want to pay more attention to, and hunt down an app that is right for you. Better yet, make one that you think the world needs
Also, want more useful articles? You might like these…
- Mirena IUD Rundown – Pros & Cons of This Hormonal Birth Control
- 18 Types of Birth Control – Learn What Options Are Out There
- 10 Types of Ancient Birth Control That Will Make Your Vag Scream
What sexual health and tracking apps have you tried? Share in the comments!
