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Today is a cloudy day. Not in termsof the weather, but because myhormones are at their monthlypeak and my mood at its mostvolatile. I know this because my phone toldme so. More specifically, my Clue appinformed me by way of a picture of a littlerain-cloud hovering ominously abovetoday’s date. It’s basing this on two yearsof in-depth analysis of my menstrual cycle,including the length, severity of symptomsand fluctuation of mood. Having alwayshad irregular periods, I find this kind ofinsight life-changing. As a teenager, I wasnever sure what was going on, which meantI spent most of my adolescence obsessivelychecking the back of my school skirt.“There’s so much potential for technologyto support women’s health, and I thinkthe industry is starting to realise that,” saysTania Boler, co-founder of Elvie, a device,the first of its kind, designed to be worninternally and specifically strengthen thepelvic floor muscle.She’s right; there seems to be a surgein technologies surrounding women’shealth, known as “fem tech”, marked by athrong of digital offerings and apps tacklingeverything from vaginal prolapse toirregular menstruation to infertility.“Everyone said Elvie wouldn’t catch on andthat it was too taboo,” says Boler, “but herewe are two years later with more than1,000 health professionals recommendingour product and a supply agreement withthe NHS, meaning women can benefitfrom Elvie at no cost. Women are startingto be proud of their womanhood and embrace it – and sureenough, the technology industry is following suit.”The kegel exercise tracker is proven to strengthen thekegel muscles, improving bladder control and speeding uppostnatal recovery, as well as reducing the risk of prolapse.It uses motion and force sensors along with biofeedbacksent to a smartphone app to help users track progress. Thatit’s been taken on by the NHS only adds weight to howdevices and apps designed to help women at various stagesof life can have a big impact.If Elvie was designed to assist post-childbirth, there area plethora of pre-birth apps vying for your attention: the``````Bump, What To Expect, Sprout, Pregnancy+ and Bounty...these are just a few of the options able to divulge what fruita foetus is comparable to in size at any point during gestation.These apps are a light-hearted way of identifying the milestonesthat each week of pregnancy brings, andthey also deliver helpful tips and advice oncommon prenatal issues. This kind ofreassurance – reached quickly and easilythrough a handheld device – can be hugelycomforting to a nervous first-time mother.Meanwhile, my period tracker app iskeeping good company, with a quickbrowse on the App Store returningmore than 50 results for similar trackers,many free to use, including Flow, Eveand Kindara. One – Natural Cycles –has sparked interest for taking trackingto the next level by providing reliablebirth control. “The algorithm is soaccurate that when used correctly, theapp can predict whether you’re fertilewith 99 per cent accuracy,” claims founderDr Elina Berglund.Like so many innovations in the fem-tech arena, Natural Cycles was born outof frustration with the failings of standardwomen’s health offerings. “I wanted to stoptaking hormonal contraceptives but couldn’tfind an adequate alternative,” says DrBerglund. “Using my knowledge of statisticalmathematics from years as a particlephysicist, I created an algorithm to predictmy fertility through body temperature.I just created it for myself initially, butquickly realised that it catered to a widerneed.” A little more than a year since itslaunch, the app now has more than 800,000users with 10,000 more every month.But it’s not only apps and electricalgoods contributing to this movement.Take Pink Parcel (Pink-parcel.com), asubscription service delivering sanitaryproducts every month, taking theinconvenience out of periods. “We startedby creating a product to help my wife feela bit better during her period and endedup with something that resonated withso many people,” says Dominic Hill,founder and CEO of Pink Parcel and It’sa Monthly Thing. “It was important tomake it as convenient as possible, andluckily we live in a time where we can have everythingdelivered to our doors with the click of a button.”There are also services such as Moody (Wearemoody.com), an editorial platform which, via an online questionnaire,suggests a bespoke supplement regime to combat commonfemale hormonal complaints. “Moody is an importantcontribution to women’s health,” says co-founder LauraWeir. “Embracing and understanding the range of moodswe feel as women allows us to feel our best and to operateat our peak. I believe it is every woman’s right, so we havecreated a community and platform to support that.” It seemsevery cloud really does have a silver lining... Q``````“I createdan algorithmto predictmy fertilitythrough bodytemperature,then realisedit catered toa wider need”``````CLUETrack your menstrual cycleand its associated symptoms,such as energy and appetitelevels, as well as skin andmood changes``````GLOWGain insight into yourreproductive health with thispopular ovulation tracker thathighlights your most fertile days``````NATURAL CYCLESThe world’s first digitalcontraceptive, created by enteringyour body temperature andmenstrual cycle into your phone``````THE APPS TO KNOW``````PREGNANCY+Mark each stage of pregnancywith this thorough and well-researched app, which hasmore than 17 million users``````139SWIMSUIT, PROENZA SCHOULERWELLNESS SPECIAL