Planned Parenthood has made helping women stay educated about their bodies and empowered about their reproductive choices its top priority for decades. And now, the organization is taking that commitment to a whole other level with the launch of Spot On, a new period tracker and birth control tracking app.
"We have heard every question in the book about menstrual cycles and birth control," says Jenny Friedler, the director of Planned Parenthood's Digital Product Lab. "We see questions we get from our health educators, from our providers — and from the 60 million people who visit us online each year. And so many people who visit us online are looking for really personalized information. Everyone's cycle is different. Everyone's birth control is different." And Spot On gets that—and is here for you, no matter your birth control method, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
What makes Spot On different from other period trackers you can download in the App Store? Friedler says that its coolest feature is the way it lets users personalize their experience to get the information that's most relevant to them and their health. If you're a birth control user, the app can personalize reminders and tips whether you take birth control pills, use a birth control ring, have an IUD, or receive a birth control shot. And whatever your method of birth control — or if you use no method of birth control at all — the app will tailors itself to making sure the first thing you see when you log-in is the information that's most relevant for you. Someone on birth control pills might get a daily reminder to take their pill, while someone on no form of contraception might be prompted to track their mood and body changes throughout their cycle.
"We distill it down for each person," says Friedler. "What's the piece of information that's most interesting to you. And then we're able to turn the information you share into streamlined, personalized statistics."
Another thing that makes Spot On different? It's not a fertility tracker: It takes Planned Parenthood's expertise on birth control and completely integrates it into a period tracker. And it doesn't assume that users are on birth control to prevent pregnancy, either, instead keeping in mind that many birth control users are on hormonal contraception to address various medical conditions. (For example, the app makes you opt-in for notifications if you miss a pill—a great feature if you don't want the assumption being made that the only reason you might be tracking your cycle is to prevent pregnancy—and doesn't ostracize those who might get a period but be concerned about pregnancy because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, or cisgender women who might be struggling with infertility. TL;DR: No trigger warnings needed here.)
Another thing that makes Spot On different? It's design.
"The app isn't filled with flowers and butterflies," Friedler stressed, adding, however that the app does have (wait for it) dinosaurs. "Dinosaurs are more entertaining to us and no more or less relevant to tracking your menstrual cycle and your sexual health" than flowers are, Fielder notes. (And we agree.)
Explains Friedler, "Everyone's needs are different around their period, their birth control, their body. Planned Parenthood is committed to making sure everyone has access to good information and can make decisions for themselves.
