Jinked

I had tracked my period all last year on a wall calendar with images of outer space, a new breathtaking image every month. (I really love outer space, despite how lonely it makes me feel.) I would do nothing more than circle the day I started my period and try to predict when it would come once again. So simple it seems ridiculous, but believe me when I say it really, really, really helped me become more in tune with my body. I noticed trends. Noticed symptoms. I actually learned how long my cycle was, something I never even knew until I started tracking last year.

It was really cool, sort of like a game I would play with myself every month. Don’t look at me like that!

Anyhow, when I went to the store this afternoon I stopped by the Valparaiso Barnes & Noble, on the prowl for a deeply discounted calendar. There were none to be had, at least not any wall hanging ones. I totally missed the boat on calendars this year by waiting until January was half over. C’est la vie. As I left the bookstore in a huff for the grocery store, I thought, “There has to be some sort of way to track menstrual cycles online.”

Lo and behold, there was. I bet there’s even an iPhone app for it!

So I signed up for a free FertilityFriend.com account, which so far seems good. It’s very in-depth, though I guess it has to be since its main purpose is for conceiving. It even has a place for me to check symptoms, which I have been closely monitoring these past couple cycles due to lower back pain.

I have never had lower back pain right before my period until about three months ago. My friend Marisol says it’s a sign of getting old, that my body is changing. My hypochondriac self is screaming, “OMG you have endometriosis!” I won’t discredit either, but either way, knowing your body and its symptoms during certain times of the month will prove to be pretty darn helpful in the long run. Especially if half a year down the road I have to go to the doctor again.

Do any of you track your cycles? What do you use to do so: pen and paper or an online program? What do you think of it?

P.S. If any of you have a wall calendar you want to get rid of, feel free to pass it along my way. Just leave a comment below and I will teleport in your direction to pick it up sometime soon.