In honour of this month’s celebration of feminine energy, let’s continue this momentum for our own health as well, especially our menstrual health. Apple’s Cycle Tracking App has recently added the most beneficial feature to ensure your best levels of vitality. In collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Apple Women’s Health Study seeks to uncover a deeper understanding of menstrual cycles and how it affects a woman’s overall wellbeing.

The study is the first-of-its-kind, and it seeks to fill a research gap of which demographic and lifestyle factors contribute to several women’s health conditions. Using your iPhone and Apple Watch, the data you provide will aid more research towards gynecologic predicaments like infertility and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). With the health information you choose to share on the app, you won’t only be ensuring your best health, but other women too.

Periods can be portals to our overall health. That’s why the study is seeking to gain more knowledge on whether there’s a connection between menstrual cycles, PCOS, and heart health. The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada says that there are at least 1.4 million Canadian women diagnosed with PCOS, and some were from inconsistent cycles. If you don’t already know, PCOS is linked to other serious health conditions like Type 2 diabetes and arrhythmia, which causes irregular heartbeats in your body.

Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah is the Co-Principal Investigator of the study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She says that menstrual health has been under-represented in the research community historically. She hopes that women feel empowered enough to add in their data for a greater health purpose, rather than depend on settings with limited and fragmented information.

If you’re ready to track your best health, head over to the Apple store and download the Cycle Tracking App if you don’t already have it. Even if you may not show any symptoms of PCOS, the Apple Women’s Health Study is able to track your menstrual wellbeing thoroughly and purposefully. With the data you share, you’ll be contributing to a study that prioritizes the future of women’s health.