Garmin Launched a Period-Tracking Feature You Can Download to Your Smartwatch

Julia Guerra
·2 min read
Garmin watch showing new menstrual cycle tracking feature
Garmin watch showing new menstrual cycle tracking feature

Garmin

Smart accessories have been designed to do it all: count your steps, assess your sleep habits, even store your credit card information. Now, wearable tech is officially pulling out all the stops: As of April 30, Garmin has joined the likes of FitBit in adding menstrual cycle-tracking to its lineup of innovative features, meaning you can keep tabs on your period each month just by looking at your watch. (Related: The Best Apps for Tracking Your Period)

"Cycle tracking was developed for women, by Garmin women—from the engineers, to the project managers, to the marketing team," said Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of global consumer marketing, in a press release. "In this way, we could ensure that we were authentically addressing a woman's actual wants and needs."

So here's how it works: Through Garmin Connect, the brand's namesake app and free online fitness community (available for both iOS and Android), tracking your period begins with a simple log. Users can customize their tracking based on their cycle; whether your period is regular, irregular, if you don't get a period, or you're transitioning into menopause, it's all relevant.

By documenting the intensity levels of your symptoms—both physical and emotional—as time goes on, the app will begin noting patterns in your cycle based on the data you input, and it will start to provide period and fertility predictions. (Related: Real Women Share Why They Track Their Period)

What's more, the menstrual cycle-tracking feature also provides insights on how your period might affect other aspects of your health, such as "sleep, mood, appetite, athletic performance, and more," according to the press release.

Additionally, the app will offer educational insights throughout your cycle. These small tidbits of information—i.e. at what point in your cycle your body craves the most protein, when it will be easier to push yourself through workouts, and which workouts are best performed at each phase of your period—can be helpful in planning your diet and exercise routine throughout the month. (Related: I Worked Out In 'Period Shorts' and It Wasn't a Total Disaster)

The menstrual cycle-tracking feature officially launched this week, and at this time the feature is only compatible with Garmin's Forerunner 645 Music, vívoactive® 3, vívoactive 3 Music, fēnix 5 Plus Series devices, according to the connect IQ store. However, the feature will be compatible with the Garmin fēnix® 5 Series, fēnix Chronos, Forerunner® 935, Forerunner 945, Forerunner 645, Forerunner 245, Forerunner 245 Music soon, so be sure to keep checking back through the app.