Photography: Franz Grünewald
Clue Connect: Who do you share your cycle with?
Share with other people your current and predicted cycle: menstruation, PMS, and the ovulation day.
When it comes to talking about periods, many people would rather use euphemisms, such as "the red tide" or "shark week." It can also be scary, exciting, a relief, a terror or a surprise for children having their first period (called "menarche").
However, with certain people in your life, you might be more comfortable, or even find it necessary, to talk about your cycle – whether you're looking for answers, asking your mom for tampons or trying to get (or avoid getting!) pregnant with your partner.
Clue Connect allows other people to see your current and predicted cycle: menstruation, PMS, and the ovulation day.
Who to share your cycle with
Your partners: Sharing your cycle with sexual partners can be educational, helpful and even fun. Depending on the relationship, this may give someone the opportunity to pick up pads at the grocery store without having to ask if you need them or pain killers when they know you're about to have cramps. You may save yourself from having to mention "I'm on my period" mid make-out session - (it's cool, they already know - maybe they even picked up something fun for shower sex, or put down a towel).
If you're trying to become pregnant, cycle sharing can help divide the burden of timing sex during the fertile window. Looping a partner in on the days you're most likely to be fertile (provided you're tracking BBT or taking ovulation tests) means you don't also have to take the role of day-to-day cycle-informant. Being more equally involved in the process can take some of the pressure off you and your uterus.
Your friends: There is a long cross-cultural history of people gathering together during menstruation – from red tents to moon lodges, from menstrual-honoring to oppression.
Menstruation has been a tool of common bonding since ancient times.
Recent research, however, has been unable, so far, to find truth behind the perceived phenomena of "cycle syncing," but that doesn't have to spoil the fun or keep you from watching your cycle sync with friends' cycles. With information about each other's cycles, you can plan your evening, weekend or sport activities with friends.
Your child: Menarche can be an exciting and scary time. Sharing your cycle with your child can have great educational benefits:
Connecting with your child through Clue allows them to see your cycle, which gives them the context to understand changes their own body is going through.
Sharing your cycle helps create topics for conversation and this helps get around the cultural taboos of periods and cycles not being openly talked about.
Giving your child access to easy-to-read and scientifically valid information about the period, ovulation, the fertile window and PMS helps create topics for conversation.
After their first period, tracking their periods with Clue allows them to learn if their irregularities are okay and maintain a record of their past cycles for when they visit their pediatrician or OB/GYN.
Your parent/grandparent/mentor: Sharing your cycle with someone who has already been through the experience may make it easier to talk about any concerns, questions or feelings you're having. These might be - am I normal? - what's happening in my body right now? - what can I expect next week?
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Who not to share your cycle with
It's your body and your data. We recommend not sharing your cycle information with anyone you don't feel close to, or who may use the information in ways you don't want it used, such as pressuring you to have unprotected sex, avoiding you at certain times in your cycle or someone who is simply judgmental about you or your body.
We suggest you only share your cycle data with people who will use this knowledge in a respectful and positive way.
P.S.- If you don't have a cycle and you want to see the cycle of a partner/friend/relative, please remember to ask them to share with you in a respectful way. Also, keep in mind that the tracking user has control over their Clue data and connections.
