How to log past period dates you forgot to record

A month got busy and you forgot to log it; or you've just started tracking your period and want to add the months before. Not being sure when your doctor asks "when was your last period?" happens a lot. This article covers where to find past dates, how to mark days you're unsure about and how to read your history once it's filled in.

Why do past period dates matter?

A single month's record says little; when several months sit side by side, you can see how your cycle is going. The NHS suggests tracking your periods with an app or a diary to see whether they're irregular.

According to the NHS, a cycle starts on the first day of your period and ends the day before your next period starts. The average cycle is around 28 days, but anywhere from 21 to 35 days is common. To work this out, you need to know at least the start day of each period.

Your last period date is also a common question at doctor's appointments. Filling in your history lets you answer it from a record rather than a guess.

Filling in your history gives you something too: you get to know your own pattern better. From your own notes you can see which months your period was longer or more painful, and whether busy times lined up with your cycle.

Where can you find the dates you forgot?

Rather than relying only on memory, it helps to look at places that leave a trace. These can give you clues:

• Your phone calendar: What you did that week, plans you postponed or cancelled.
• Your messages: If you texted someone "my period started today" or "I've got cramps", you can find the date there.
• Shopping records: Receipts or online order history for days you bought pads, tampons or painkillers.
• Photos: The dates on photos from those days can jog your memory.
• Old notes: A paper planner, a notes app or records in another app you used before.

These clues won't always give an exact date, but they often get you as close as "that week" or "mid-month". You don't have to find everything at once; you can add dates as they come back to you.

Another approach is to start from the date you're most sure of. For example, if you clearly remember your last period, work backwards from there and write down only the clue you can find for each month. That keeps the order straight and makes it easy to see which month is missing.

How should you mark dates you're unsure about?

The most important rule when filling in your history is to stay honest. Write dates you're sure of as they are; add dates you're unsure about with a note that they're approximate. For example, writing "date approximate, could be a few days off" reminds you later how much you can rely on that entry.

Don't fill months you can't remember with made-up dates. An empty month is less misleading than a wrong date. Telling your doctor "I know the dates for these three months, but I can't remember the two in between" is completely fine. If your doctor asks about the missing months, briefly describing what was going on in your life then helps too; events such as a move, a busy work period or an illness give context.

If you can't remember when a period ended, logging just the start is still useful; cycle length is counted from start days. If you roughly remember how many days the bleeding lasted, you can add that to the note as an estimate too.

Reading the history you've filled in

Once the dates are in, the number of days between two start days gives your cycle length. Seeing several cycles side by side makes it easier to tell whether your cycles are getting shorter or longer. We explained how to work out cycle length step by step in how to track your period and cycle length.

Cycle lengths worked out from approximate dates are approximate too. So don't read too much into a single short or long cycle, especially if you're unsure of that month's date. Assessing what your records mean is your doctor's job.

According to the NHS, cycles can be more irregular in the first years after periods start and as you approach menopause. Noting big events next to the relevant date, such as giving birth, breastfeeding, a new medicine or a change of contraception, keeps the context when you read your history.

Once your history is filled in, you don't need to go through it from scratch every month. A quick look every few months is enough to notice a new change. Note anything you spot with its date and ask your doctor about it at your next appointment.

When should you talk to a doctor?

If something catches your eye while filling in your history, talk to your doctor. The NHS suggests seeing a GP if:

• Your periods are irregular, meaning your cycles are shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days.
• Your period lasts longer than 7 days.
• You bleed between periods, after sex or after menopause.
• Irregular periods come with weight gain, tiredness, facial hair growth, or dry or oily skin.
• You've missed three periods in a row and your pregnancy test is negative.

If you have very heavy bleeding, severe tummy pain or feel faint, call your local emergency number without waiting.

Adding past bleeding in Oveluni

In Oveluni, with the Women's profile on, you can use Record bleeding in the Quick add menu to pick the start and end dates of a past period and add a completed range; you can also add the end date later. You can choose Natural period as the type; if you log a bleed you're unsure about as "Bleeding – type not specified", it's kept in your history but isn't included in natural cycle averages. You can write notes like "date approximate" in the note field and edit an entry from the bleeding details if you remember a correction later. In Oveluni's own words: "Dates, just as you recorded them. Unrecorded days do not imply anything about your cycle." If you're just getting started, see the guide to logging period days in Oveluni, and the Features page for other tracking areas. Oveluni is coming soon to the App Store.

Sources

1. NHS: Irregular periods
2. NHS: Periods