Guides for keeping a record you can actually use.
Plain-language guides to periods, sexual health, contraception, fertility, pregnancy, life after a birth and menopause. Each one lists the sources it draws on.
Written by the Veya team from the sources listed in each guide. Looking for a quick answer? Try the common questions page.
Getting started with cycle tracking
Start a useful cycle record with dates, a few everyday observations and room for gaps, without making tracking another job.
All guides
134 guides
Getting started
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Getting started with cycle tracking Start a useful cycle record with dates, a few everyday observations and room for gaps, without making tracking another job.
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How do period trackers predict periods? See how period apps turn past dates into estimates, why predictions can miss, and how to read a period window without treating it as a promise.
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Period tracker privacy: what to check A practical checklist for period tracker privacy, covering storage, sharing, analytics, deletion, phone access and the questions to ask Veya.
Your cycle
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Can stress delay your period? Sleep and exercise What evidence says about stress, sleep and exercise affecting your cycle, including low energy availability and when missed periods need checking.
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How long is a normal menstrual cycle? Count your cycle correctly, compare NHS and ACOG ranges, and check when a short, long or changing cycle needs a conversation with your GP.
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Irregular cycles: what to log and when to ask Keep a useful record when period dates vary, describe changes clearly and recognise when to arrange routine or urgent care.
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Irregular periods: causes and when to see a doctor Common causes of irregular periods, from contraception to thyroid problems, with clear advice on seeing a GP and getting urgent help.
Symptoms
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Adenomyosis How adenomyosis affects the womb, what scans can show, and the treatment choices for pain and heavy bleeding. Includes when to get help, with UK and US notes.
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Bleeding disorders and heavy periods When heavy periods may point to a clotting problem, which other clues matter and how to ask about specialist testing. Includes when to get help.
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Endometriosis symptoms and keeping a symptom diary Recognise possible endometriosis symptoms, understand how it is diagnosed and keep useful notes about pain and daily life for a healthcare appointment.
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Endometriosis: getting diagnosed and choosing treatment What examinations, scans and laparoscopy can tell you, how treatment is chosen, and where fertility care fits. Includes when to get help, with UK and US notes.
PCOS
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How PCOS is diagnosed How symptoms, blood tests and scans fit together, and why assessment is different for adolescents. There is no single test that diagnoses PCOS.
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Living with PCOS: food, movement and weight What evidence says about food and activity for PCOS, with support that respects your body, preferences and circumstances.
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PCOS treatment options How hormonal treatments, metformin and other options fit different PCOS goals, including the limits of inositol evidence.
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PCOS, fertility and pregnancy Options for ovulation-related fertility problems, pregnancy planning and the extra checks recommended with PCOS. Includes when to get help.
Hormones
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High prolactin (hyperprolactinaemia) What high prolactin can mean for periods, why medicines matter, and which headache or vision changes need urgent help. Includes when to get help.
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Hormone blood tests: what they can and cannot tell you What common hormone tests look for, why timing matters, and why an AMH result is not a forecast of your future fertility.
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Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) POI before 40: symptoms, assessment, hormone treatment, bone and heart health, fertility options and emotional support. Includes when to get help.
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Thyroid conditions and your cycle How thyroid conditions can affect periods, fertility and pregnancy, and why symptoms after a birth deserve attention. Includes when to get help.
Sexual health
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Bacterial vaginosis (BV) Changes in discharge, treatment and recurrence, including pregnancy advice and the changing guidance on partner treatment.
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Cervical screening What screening checks, the latest England and US intervals, self-sampling, and ways to make an appointment more manageable.
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Common STIs: symptoms and treatment A plain guide to common STI symptoms and treatment types, including infections without symptoms and pelvic pain that needs urgent care.
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Consent and healthy relationships What freely chosen consent looks like, how control can affect sex and pregnancy decisions, and where to find support safely.
Contraception
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Coils: the copper IUD and hormonal IUS Compare copper and hormonal coils, fitting, duration, bleeding changes and when to get threads checked. Includes when to get help, with UK and US notes.
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Condoms and other barrier methods How external and internal condoms, diaphragms and caps work, with practical advice on lubricant, latex and getting help.
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Contraception methods compared Compare hormones, effectiveness and STI protection, with UK and US figures kept separate. Condoms can add STI protection alongside another contraceptive method.
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Emergency contraception: your options Compare the copper IUD and emergency pills, when to seek help, medicine interactions and pregnancy testing afterwards. Includes when to get help.
Fertility
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Ectopic pregnancy Symptoms that need urgent care, how ectopic pregnancy is assessed and treated, and support with recovery and future pregnancy.
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Fertility and age How age affects eggs and sperm, what fertility figures can tell you, and why egg freezing cannot guarantee a future pregnancy.
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Getting ready for pregnancy Folic acid, vaccines, medicines and everyday health: what to check before pregnancy, with UK and US advice explained. Includes when to get help.
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IVF, IUI and egg freezing: the basics Compare the main fertility treatments, what they involve, costs and funding, donor options, and questions to take to a clinic.
Pregnancy
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After a positive test: the first weeks How to arrange pregnancy care, prepare for your first appointment and get help with early symptoms. Early symptoms vary; you may not have all of them.
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Alcohol, smoking and caffeine in pregnancy Clear advice on alcohol, smoking, vaping and caffeine, with practical support and the differences between UK and US guidance.
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Antenatal care: what's usually offered Compare NHS appointments, tailored US prenatal care and WHO contacts, with practical ways to plan visits and get help between them.
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Common pregnancy discomforts Practical help for heartburn, constipation, piles, aches, cramps, swelling and sleep, with signs that need prompt care. Includes when to get help.
After a birth
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After a birth: symptoms that need help When bleeding, fever, chest pain, headaches or mental health changes after birth need urgent or emergency care. Includes when to get help, with UK and US notes.
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Baby blues, postnatal depression and postpartum psychosis How baby blues, depression and psychosis differ after a birth, with clear routes to treatment and urgent support. Includes when to get help.
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Breastfeeding problems and getting help Help with painful feeds, swollen breasts, mastitis and tongue-tie, plus when to check medicines with a pharmacist. Includes when to get help.
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Contraception after a birth When fertility can return, contraception options while breastfeeding, and the conditions for using breastfeeding as contraception.
Life stages
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First period: a guide for teens and families What to expect from your first period, how a parent or carer can help, and which changes need a GP or urgent medical advice.
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No period yet: when a first period is late When to ask about a first period that has not arrived, how referral ages differ and what a puberty assessment may involve.
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Perimenopause periods: changes and care How periods can change during perimenopause, which bleeding needs checking, when contraception is still needed and how to get support.
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Puberty: what changes and when Breast buds, growth, discharge and changing skin: what can happen before a first period, and when to ask for help. Includes when to get help.
Menopause
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Bleeding after menopause Why even a little bleeding after menopause needs checking, what assessment may involve, and how HRT changes the discussion.
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Contraception in perimenopause Pregnancy is still possible in perimenopause. Compare UK and US stopping advice, method choices and how contraception fits with HRT.
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Heart health after menopause How heart risk changes around menopause, which checks to discuss, and why HRT decisions differ from heart-disease prevention.
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HRT: types, benefits and risks How HRT types and routes differ, what they can help with, and how UK risk advice compares with recent US label changes. Includes when to get help.
Wellbeing
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Alcohol, smoking and vaping Current UK and US alcohol advice, the breast cancer link, vaping differences and where to get support to cut down or quit.
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Autoimmune conditions and why sex matters Why many autoimmune diseases affect more women, how lupus, thyroid disease and rheumatoid arthritis differ, and planning pregnancy.
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Bone health at every age How food, movement and hormones affect bones, what osteoporosis is, and when a bone-density scan may be worth discussing.
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Breast awareness and screening Know which breast changes to get checked, how UK and US screening schedules differ, and what dense breasts and family history mean.