Flo is now FSA/HSA eligible
Published: 24 Sep 2025
The menstrual cycle is a vital indicator of women’s health1. According to ACOG, just like abnormal blood pressure, heart rate, or respiratory rate, menstrual cycle changes can be useful in predicting potential health problems.2 And not only may menstrual irregularities signal hormonal or gynecological issues,3 but a BMJ cohort study reveals that cycle irregularities in adulthood are actually linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, too. 4
To provide effective care, it’s vital that doctors are able to get a holistic and accurate understanding of their patients’ cycles: if they’re normal, if they’re not, how they’ve changed over time.
And in today’s fast-paced clinical settings, with OB-GYNs feeling the pressure as much as ever5, tools that can streamline that communication and enhance patient insight are invaluable.6
Enter cycle-tracking.
How cycle-tracking can help physicians
Before we get into why patient cycle-tracking can be so beneficial – and how you can make the most of it in your practice – first, a quick crash course on what an app like Flo can do. (Spoiler: It’s much more than a simple period tracker.)
With Flo, users can keep a record of their period start and end dates, heaviness of flow, cramping and pain, alongside other menstrual and pre-menstrual symptoms like bloating, headaches, mood swings, etc. They can record their discharge types, sexual activity, potential perimenopause symptoms (hot flashes, vaginal dryness, brain fog, etc) — and so much more.
Flo’s symptom patterns feature helps join the dots, flagging when patterns are emerging in the user’s data, and explaining when they might be a sign to speak with you, their physician, for more advice.
Plus, the health report feature gives users an easy-to-share PDF report of their last six months of cycle and symptom history at the tap of a button — highlighting patterns, abnormalities, and other relevant information.
(And for the record, every Flo feature is created in collaboration with experts, ensuring the highest standards of credibility.)
Don’t just take it from us, though
With insights from two Flo Experts Board members – Dr. Sara Twogood, obstetrician and gynecologist, Georgia Obstetrics and Gynecology, Georgia, US, and Dr. Renita White, obstetrician and gynecologist, Georgia Obstetrics and Gynecology, Georgia, US – here’s why they encourage their patients to track their cycles with Flo, and how it helps their care.
It gives you real data to work with
“[Period apps] help me investigate symptoms with data instead of patient recall, which is difficult and notoriously inaccurate,” says Dr. Twogood.
“It is very common for patients to come in with a ‘feeling’ that their periods have changed, or that they are irregular,” says Dr. Twogood. “So when I look at the data from tracking, I can help identify what is actually happening. I have used an app countless times to help clarify patient concerns in this way.”
It can help you spot conditions earlier
It’s no secret that hormonal conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis often go undiagnosed for too long (with the latter seeing diagnostic delays of 7-9 years globally).7
“When patients bring [their cycle data] to their office visits,” says Dr. White, “it allows the patient and the doctor to have useful information to help diagnose and treat certain conditions.”
This can help streamline care, boosting patient satisfaction.
It can make a big difference in a patient’s conception journey
A 2020 study found that use of a cycle-tracking app may increase participants’ fecundability of up to 20% per cycle of conception attempt.8
Dr. Twogood notes that she always advises cycle tracking in an app like Flo to patients who are trying to conceive (as well as a second ovulation-tracking method, to boost accuracy as much as possible).
Meanwhile, Dr. White adds that she’s been able to use patients’ tracked sexual activity to identify that they’d been having sex at the wrong times to conceive.
Note: Flo is not a diagnostic tool and should not be used as a method of contraception or to facilitate conception. Predictions and insights provided by the app are intended for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
It can empower patients to take an active role in their health
With symptom tracking, patients can better understand what’s normal for them throughout their cycles — and what’s not. That means they can spend their doctor visits talking about the things that really matter, rather than losing time on the basics.
(For example, Dr. Twogood notes how common it is for women to come to her unnecessarily worrying about irregular periods. But a cycle-tracking app can tell the user if they’re in a normal cycle length range — putting their mind at ease from the off.)
Incorporating symptom-tracking into patient care: Tips from the experts
With help from Dr. Twogood and Dr. White, here’s how you can make the most of symptom-tracking in your practice — while setting the right boundaries to ensure the data supports, rather than overwhelms, consultations.
1. Encourage tracking as a routine practice
Rather than waiting for a patient to present with a concern, it can be more effective to encourage cycle and symptom tracking proactively. Both Dr. Twogood and Dr. White do this.
After all, it allows for the building of a bank of longitudinal data — equipping both patient and provider with a valuable baseline, and assisting in recognizing patterns earlier (especially in conditions with subtle or delayed presentations).
Physicians may also wish to incorporate symptom-tracking into periodic ACOG Well Woman visits, which cover screening for menstrual irregularities, contraceptive needs, and reproductive planning. In this way, rather than limiting tracking to problem-oriented visits, clinicians can position it as a core part of reproductive health monitoring — just like checking blood pressure or reviewing a Pap smear history.
2. Clarify what data patients should track — and when you want to see it
As Dr. Twogood points out, “Patients often don't know what data is helpful to us and what is extraneous. We need to tell them!”
Without clear guidance, patients may arrive with pages of screenshots or lengthy symptom logs that waste consultation time, and detract from the key data, rather than bring clarity, she says.
As priorities, Dr. Twogood actively encourages her patients to track:
- The date of the first day of each period
- How many days their periods run for
- Any other key symptoms or changes in the way they feel (e.g. pain, bloating, mood swings etc).
Then, at any given consultation, depending on the context, “I tell patients what [data] I am specifically looking for and what is not helpful for me right now,” continues Dr. Twogood. “I might ask for specific numbers and measurements and request they do not show me the rest.”
3. Set boundaries that work for you and your practice
Some physicians may be happy to receive copies of certain health information ahead of, or in between, consultations. Others — like Dr. Twogood — prefer the patient to bring their data to the consultation, and to review it together then. Either way, it will be helpful to clarify this with your patients up front.
“For me, it’s considered part of the appointment,” says Dr. Twogood. And if an appointment is short, she adds, then she makes sure to help the patient identify what data is most important to look at together in that time.
4. Use Flo’s Health Report feature for long-term pattern recognition
One of the most clinician-friendly features of tracking apps like Flo is the previously mentioned health report: a visualised summary that provides an at-a-glance view of the user’s past six months of cycle and symptom history.
This report condenses a broad range of tracking inputs – bleeding, pain, emotional changes, and more – into a structured breakdown that can be reviewed during a visit. It’s designed to help clinicians identify trends, such as irregularities or worsening symptoms, without needing to dig through raw data in the app.
Using this the health report enables a more holistic assessment, particularly for patients whose symptoms fluctuate over time or with the menstrual cycle.
The takeaway
Today, cycle tracking apps are becoming powerful tools in OB-GYN care, thanks to clear, structured symptom data that can streamline consultations and care.
So, by guiding patients on what to track, integrating the data into routine visits, and making the most of features like the Health Report, clinicians can find a valuable partner in apps like Flo — achieving more informed conversations, earlier interventions, and a stronger relationship between patient and provider.
Join other healthcare providers who trust Flo, the leading app for female health. Discover how it can enhance patient care and support your practice at Flo for Healthcare Professionals.
