PMS symptoms tracker: what to track before your period

A few days before your period, you might feel more tense, more tired or simply different in your body. These changes can vary from month to month, and they're hard to keep in your head. In this post, we look at what you can note in the days before your period, how to keep your notes simple, and how to bring them to your doctor. This post is for general information only; for any interpretation of or decisions about your symptoms, talk to your doctor.

Why note the days before your period?

The UK's NHS explains that premenstrual syndrome (PMS) covers a range of symptoms that can appear in the weeks before a period, and that these symptoms can change from month to month. Something that keeps changing is hard to describe from memory. The answer to "Was it like this last month too?" is often sitting in a note.

The second benefit of keeping notes is seeing a pattern. Some symptoms only show up before your period and ease once it starts; others continue throughout the month. You don't have to interpret this difference yourself, but dated notes make it easier for your doctor to see it.

There's also memory's natural habit: hard days take up more space in your mind. If you try to describe a whole month only from what you remember, the good days are easily forgotten. Your notes keep both the hard days and the easy ones with the same honesty.

Finally, keeping notes can help you be kinder to yourself. Seeing where a difficult day falls on the calendar gives the question "why do I feel like this?" at least some context.

What should you track?

Trying to write down everything makes note-keeping feel heavy. Pick the areas below that fit you, and each day write only what you noticed.

• Mood: Tension, touchiness, anxiety, sadness or sudden shifts in emotion.
• Energy: How tired or rested you feel during the day.
• Body: Bloating, breast tenderness, headache, cramps or skin changes.
• Sleep: Trouble falling asleep, waking often or wanting to sleep more than usual.
• Appetite: Cravings for certain foods or a noticeable change in appetite.
• Daily life: Whether your symptoms affect your work, relationships or plans.

If you want to follow changes in your sleep more closely, the morning questions in how to keep a sleep diary can help.

You don't have to track all of them at once. Starting with just mood and energy in the first month, then adding a body symptom that seems important to you in the second month, is a good way to go. Your notes only help as long as you can keep them up.

Don't forget to note your period days themselves: without start and end dates, there's no way to tell which days are "before your period." To see what else you can note in a period log, take a look at what to note when tracking your period.

4 steps to keep your notes simple

1. Write at the same time every day. A short one-minute note in the evening gives a clearer picture than scattered notes throughout the day.
2. Use a simple scale. Give each symptom a three-step level, like mild, moderate or strong. The levels don't have to be exact; using the same scale every month is enough.
3. Add your own words. A short sentence like "I got annoyed at everything in the meeting" can say much more than a level.
4. Keep going for at least two cycles. The NHS suggests noting symptoms for at least two cycles and bringing those notes to your doctor's appointment. A single month can be misleading because of other factors like stress or illness.

Don't push yourself while keeping notes. It's fine if a day or two stay empty; what matters is capturing the overall picture across the month. Leaving missed days blank, instead of filling them in later from memory, keeps your notes more accurate.

If you're just starting to note your mood, the short questions in starting a mood journal in five minutes can also make things easier.

When should you talk to your doctor?

Talk to your doctor if your symptoms make work, school, relationships or your daily routine hard, or if they continue despite changes to your lifestyle. Bringing your notes helps you explain clearly what you experienced and when. If you're thinking about trying a medicine or supplement, don't start it on your own; ask your doctor or pharmacist first.

The NHS also mentions premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a condition in which symptoms are much more intense and seriously affect daily life. If mood changes are very hard on you, don't hesitate to get professional support. If you have thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call your country's emergency number without waiting.

When you go to your appointment, putting the notes from two cycles side by side makes the conversation easier. You can write a few short points: how many days before your period each symptom appeared, whether it eased once your period started, and which symptom was hardest for you. Your doctor will ask other questions too; your notes make it easier to answer them.

For ideas on how to prepare changes in your period pattern for an appointment, take a look at what to tell your doctor when your period changes.

How do you keep this in Oveluni?

In Oveluni, you log Period days from the Quick add menu in the Cycle area, which opens in the women's profile. You add your mood and energy with the Daily check-in, and details like body changes or sleep in your own words with A note. By setting a reminder for the Daily check-in, you can keep notes at the same time every day.

In the Calendar tab, you see the entries before your period days side by side, and in Summaries you compare two equal periods with the daily observation chart and period comparison. Before an appointment, you can turn the range you choose into a PDF report.

Your records are stored on this iPhone; there's no automatic cloud backup or analytics tracking. If you like, you can set up an app lock to protect these personal notes with Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode.

Oveluni doesn't say anything about the future: "Only recorded history is shown. There are no fertility, ovulation or pregnancy predictions." You see the days before your period by looking back at your own records; interpreting them is your doctor's job, keeping the notes is yours.

Sources

1. NHS: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) (UK National Health Service)
2. ACOG: Premenstrual syndrome (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)