For a university where women make up over 60 percent of the student body, it is safe to say many Hilltoppers have experienced interruptions in university life due to a particularly tricky cycle – the menstrual cycle.

While predicting menstruation start dates with pen and paper can be effective for some, variations in diet, exercise regimen and stress levels can alter these month-by-month estimates, creating inaccurate timelines.

Luckily, Period Tracker (free, iOS, Android) is a technological solution for those either struggling with comprehensive planning or wishing to experiment with a cycle-tracking app.

One of the top-selling that-time-of-the-month apps, Period Tracker has it all. From an optional passcode for privacy to a day-by-day overview detailing predicted fertility dates and date of ovulation, Period Tracker leaves no stone unturned. Users can put in previous period start and end dates over multiple cycles so that the app becomes more accurate in its predictions after gaining more data.

Appealing to the science-savvy, users may also be interested in Period Tracker’s symptoms input option where users can keep a log of Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms such as nausea, dryness of hands and feet and soreness of breasts. After users complete data entry for period symptoms several months in a row, Period Tracker generates helpful charts and graphs detailing the frequency and severity of symptoms. The same option is available for documenting moods such as increased sadness, irritability, anxiety, joy or sensitivity.

Rather than mocking the processes many biological females undergo each month, Period Tracker educates users, allowing them to get to know their bodies and the patterns they exhibit during a cycle. With knowledge gained from Period Tracker, users may experience a decreased sense of anxiety over X week after gaining access to an average number of days in their individual cycle, predicted symptoms and predicted moods.

Some users have complained about Period Tracker’s adolescent, flowery interface or the indiscreet “P Tracker” title next to the icon. Yet the empowering ability to store data on a free, easy-access app puts the issue of aesthetics on the back burner.

By storing cycle dates on this app, individuals who experience particularly interrupting symptoms can gain control of their situations, using the app to evaluate options for planning ahead of time, such as doing the bulk of studying for a test one set of days, as opposed to another set. Individuals who get a menstrual cycle, whether the cycle is predictable or unpredictable, can rely on Period Tracker to tabulate this significant yet intimate information.

If Period Tracker doesn’t meet your needs, other cycle-tracking alternatives include Clue (free, iOS, Android), Life (free, iOS), Monthly Cycles (free, iOS, Android) and My Calendar (free, iOS).