As women are becoming a more integral part of the workforce, the demand for their recognition across the board has also increased. The tech sector, in particular, has faced the feminists’ wrath. Recently, Apple has been targeted as a result of its attempt to remain gender neutral in itss new Health app. What’s missing? A period (menstrual cycle) tracking device for women.
“Menstrual history is definitely a key health measure for women,” said Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, in an interview with SiliconValley.com. Dr. Westphal is an associate professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University Medical Center.
Apple Health, which launched in September of this year, tracks other critical health components such as sleep patterns, blood alcohol content, heart rate, inhaler usage, and many other things, notes SiliconValley.com. However, it has yet to include a component that tracks a woman’s period.
A woman’s menstrual cycle is an essential component in tracking health and wellness, particularly as many diseases could manifest themselves as abnormalities of menstrual cycles, Dr. Westphal notes. One such example is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is a common hormonal imbalance among women of reproductive age.
An ovulation thermometer called Ovatemp, which uses Bluetooth to connect to a smartphone app in order to help women chart their ovulation cycles, is reportedly in the process of gaining approval to be part of Apple’s Health app.
Apple’s global workforce is 70% male; however, it is not believed that Apple intentionally left out women, SiliconValley.com notes. Apple Health is still in its infancy and will likely be looking to incorporate more female health components to its platform in the coming days, as it moves away from being gender neutral.
In the meantime, for women who are seeking a way to track their periods separately from what Apple Health has to offer, there’s an app for that. It’s called iPeriod.
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz