Asan launches period tracking app that also tracks your carbon footprint

As well as environmental features the app is free and female-built

Menstrual cup company Asan has launched a free period tracking app to empower British women with knowledge and information about their menstrual cycles.

The app includes a unique environmental tracker, enabling women to track the carbon footprint of their period products. For example as users switch from pads or tampons to a reusable period product, such as a menstrual cup or period underwear, they can track in real time how much landfill is being averted and how much money they are saving.

Asan’s founder Ira Guha said:

"Our environmental tracker is all about driving behaviour change. In the UK, we flush 2 billion tampons per year and the number is billions more worldwide. By giving users an easy way to track the carbon footprint of their period products in real time, we hope to drive up adoption of reusable options like Asan cups and period underwear."

To develop the app the start-up also hired only female project managers, designers and software developers to work on the app. Asan Cup realised that most women’s health apps are built by men. So, by hiring only female designers and developers, Asan could ensure that customer needs are better understood. The result is a period tracker with inbuilt analytics and insights, designed as a health companion to women from puberty until menopause.

The app also provides 100% free analytics and insights. It also prides itself on data privacy - the data is not shared or sold to third parties, and there is no in-app advertising. Users can delete their accounts any time.

Improving education

According to Plan International, nearly 40% of young women said they did not feel comfortable discussing periods openly with family, teachers. Moreover, a study by The Wellcome Trust found that 1 in 5 women couldn't identify all stages of their menstrual cycle.

Period tracking is a free and easy way for all women and girls to understand their menstrual cycles and identify symptoms that might suggest health issues.

While most apps focus explicitly on fertility, the Asan Period Tracker is designed to cover all aspects of the menstrual cycle – follicular, ovular, luteal and menstrual. It enables users to track their moods and symptoms throughout these phases and to easily spot irregularities and anomalies.