How to Use Your Fitness Tracker to Navigate Menopause More Effectively

Gone are the times when women going through menopause would shy away from talking about it, whispering behind closed doors or avoiding the subject altogether. Today, there's a growing openness and awareness about the changes that come with perimenopause and menopause. Women openly exchange experiences about symptoms, treatment options, and lifestyle adjustments, whether chatting during workout sessions or casual meetups.

Despite this progress, many stigmas still surround menopause, and candid conversations about symptoms like hot flashes are not yet commonplace at dining tables or social gatherings. We still have some distance to cover before these natural life changes are fully accepted and understood. For now, one of the most effective ways to manage your physical and emotional health during this transition is by being mindful of your symptoms and thoughts and sharing those insights with your health care provider.

Many health professionals encourage women to track various symptoms over time to spot patterns that can inform better management strategies. Documenting things such as changes in menstrual bleeding, mood swings, sleep quality, energy levels, hot flashes, anxiety, or depression is essential. However, recognizing these patterns requires patience and consistent tracking, often over several weeks or even months.

While some prefer the traditional approach of jotting down notes on paper or calendars, others lean on technology to simplify the process. Today’s wearable devices can do much of the heavy lifting, offering a blend of objective biometric data—like heart rate and sleep duration—alongside subjective inputs like mood and mental clarity. This combination gives a fuller picture of how menopause is affecting your body and mind, helping you and your healthcare provider tailor your care plan.

Perimenopause can bring a wide range of symptoms, from anticipated ones like changes in your menstrual cycle and hot flashes to less expected issues such as frozen shoulder pain. While it’s impossible to track every symptom without feeling overwhelmed, focusing on major factors can offer crucial insights that guide treatment and lifestyle adjustments.

Here are five significant symptoms to keep an eye on:

1. Menstrual Cycle Changes: One of the first signs you might notice is your period becoming irregular. This can include variations in flow intensity, cycle length, or skipped periods. Keeping track of these changes over months or years helps you observe the natural progression toward menopause, defined by 12 consecutive months without a cycle. Monitoring related symptoms like migraines, which may rise due to fluctuating hormones, can offer additional clues about your body’s status.

2. Sleep Quality: Waking up in the middle of the night might feel too familiar. Many women report disrupted sleep during menopause, with an estimated 40 to 69 percent experiencing some form of sleep disturbance. Fortunately, most wearables measure sleep patterns effectively, giving you valuable data to analyze and improve your rest. Tracking your sleep can expose issues like sleep apnea, restless partners, or medication timing that could be adjusted for better nights.

3. Body Temperature Fluctuations: You don’t need a gadget to tell you when a hot flash hits, but keeping tabs on your body temperature over time can reveal important physiological changes. Body temperature naturally shifts through the menstrual cycle phases. In perimenopause, cycles may become irregular or stop ovulating, reflected in unusual temperature patterns. Tracking this can help confirm perimenopause and differentiate it from other causes of bleeding.

4. Physical Activity: Hormone changes can lead to shifts in body composition, with many women experiencing weight gain and muscle loss starting as early as their 30s. Studies show that physical activity tends to decline during menopause, which further impacts metabolism and muscle mass. Wearables can encourage movement throughout the day by reminding you to stand, walk, or do simple exercises, helping maintain your fitness and overall health during this phase.

5. Heart Rate Monitoring: Menopause can affect cardiovascular health since estrogen has protective effects on the heart. Almost half of menopausal women report palpitations or irregular heartbeats. Fitness trackers that monitor heart rhythm can alert you to changes worth discussing with your doctor, enabling early detection of potential issues and ensuring your heart stays in check.

Currently, there isn’t a menopause-specific wearable, but several popular devices offer adaptable features that help track relevant symptoms and biometrics. These tools don’t replace professional medical advice but empower you by providing insight into your body’s responses over time, which you can share with your healthcare provider.

One of the most comprehensive options is the Oura Ring 4, which tracks menstrual cycles, sleep, body temperature, and heart rate variability. Its app also lets you tag menopause-related symptoms like hormone therapy use, hot flashes, mood changes, and more. Plus, its ring design keeps it subtle and stylish.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is another excellent choice, offering similar tracking capabilities alongside built-in period tracking features. It allows you to log symptoms like night sweats, memory issues, and vaginal dryness, and it sends reminders to stay active. For women who have fully transitioned into menopause and no longer track periods, third-party apps can supplement the Apple Watch’s features.

For fitness enthusiasts, the WHOOP 4.0 provides valuable data on training and recovery, including how strength training impacts your body through a 'strain' score, which supports muscle maintenance—a key focus during menopause.

If hot flashes are disrupting your life, the Embr Wave 2 Thermal Wristband offers a unique approach by sending cooling or warming sensations to your wrist to regulate body temperature, which can ease the discomfort of sudden heat waves. While it focuses mainly on temperature control, pairing it with another wearable can provide comprehensive symptom tracking.

Lastly, for those struggling with sleep, the Elemind Neurotech Headband may be worth exploring. Designed to use acoustic stimulation based on your brain waves, it helps you fall asleep and get back to sleep after waking. Though still new and with limited data specific to menopausal women, it provides an innovative method to enhance sleep quality when combined with other tracking devices for full menopause symptom monitoring.