Every month, when women menstruate, their bodies go through a cycle that also comes with a roller coaster of emotions. 

This is not always easy because they endure severe menstrual symptoms such as pain, depression, mood swings, irritability and anger, among others, that can be agonising for their emotional and social wellbeing. 

But keeping track of these hormonal changes can be vital, especially when it comes to detecting unexpected patterns or better, knowing where one is in their cycle, as this can be empowering to understand your body better and make lifestyle choices that work for you.

It is due to such relevance that software developers Adia Akabibi and her counterpart Roger Manzi Neretse initiated ‘Imenye app’ a platform that enables women keep track of their monthly menstrual cycles.

Adia and Roger, the duo who created the app), say it was designed to strengthen the fight against teen pregnancies. Courtesy photo

With this platform — a period tracking app — women are able to predict their menstrual cycle. They are notified whenever their cycle changes, guided on what kind of food to take and how to behave according to where they are in their menstrual cycle. 

A menstrual cycle apparently says a lot about one’s health. How often you get it, how long it lasts, and how heavy the flow is can be different for every woman. With this period tracking app, one can access clues to what’s going on with their body. 

Akabibi says whereas this app equips women with general information about reproductive health, their main motive was to strengthen the fight against early and unwanted pregnancies.

Imenye provides information on when a woman is ovulating and when she is having her fertile days—this, along with other precautionary measures, can help in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.

"After noticing a rise in the number of early pregnancies, we thought of how we could contribute to the reduction of these cases. That’s how we came up with the idea of imenye app,” she says.

Paying attention to what’s normal

Because of entrenched stigma and taboos, menstruation is rarely discussed in society.

Akabibi is saddened by the shame women still carry about their reproductive health, especially with menstruation, noting that this kind of stigma poses a barrier for women in their daily lives.

This, she says, has led to restriction of information flow, especially for young girls. 

"It has been clearly observed that this form of stigma has prevented proper communication between parents and their children when it comes to reproductive health information. This is damaging because children remain with unanswered questions or seek unreliable sources, something that exposes them to unwanted pregnancies.”

She believes that menstruation should be considered normal, noting, however, that drastic changes are needed to encourage positive social norms and ultimately endorse behavioural change.

With the platform, women have access to information related to their fertility, contraception, pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, among other issues.

"That’s why we decided to provide reproductive health information and arrange for specialists who respond to those with personal questions, or need personal advice. This is all done with privacy and this way, women feel free and comfortable.”

How the app works

When using the app, you enter details about your period and moods among others.

This is done after setting the first day of your menstrual cycle. The app then starts monitoring your entire menstrual cycle and notifies you with each period (this could be ovulation, fertility and menstruation) changes.

It calculates the average length of your menstrual cycles to better predict the start date of your next period, it calculates your ovulation days and fertile days, and even predict your moods and symptoms.

With it, women also access personalised content about their health as well as a customised diet plan for each of their current period of the menstrual cycle. This is important because the food one eats and their menstrual cycle have a complementary relationship. Your diet can affect how your reproductive system functions, medics say.

Akabibi notes that the main importance of keeping track of your period is that it helps one know how to carry themselves accordingly.

It is also important to detect irregularities in cycles or a change in period colour, for changes in colour or consistency can be a sign of an underlying health condition.

The 22-year-old notes that there is still much to be done in terms of improving women’s reproductive health. She, on the other hand, appreciates the different initiatives in place to achieve this.

The young graduate, however, calls on everyone’s efforts to add on the support, especially when it comes to fighting teen pregnancies.  

"Be the change you want to see in the world, this is my daily motivation. I always try to be or bring on the table that change I want to see in the world,” she notes.

Her vision is to fully raise women reproductive health awareness and help out women through technology.