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There are currently many different calendar options to track your cycle. You can choose to keep a physical calendar or journal or take advantage of any number of online tools or smartphone apps to track your menstrual cycle. Figure out which type best suits your needs and wishes.  Buy a paper calendar with plenty of space to make notes if you want to document your cycle by hand. You can get options small enough to fit in your purse or keep one in your office or home office. Consider using your smartphone calendar as well, though it may be difficult with these to see overall patterns in your cycle. Choose an online tracker or smartphone app if you prefer to track your cycle electronically. Many sites such as Strawberry Pal and LadyTimer have free online tools that track your cycle and are compatible with smartphones. They offer a wide range of services based on your needs including period tracking and prediction, ovulation forecasts, file sharing with your doctor, and birth control pill reminders. Because you don’t have to write anything and there are so many different factors you can track, an electronic option may help you save time and more easily call up necessary information. In addition, online tools can import and export information into other calendars. You’ll need to remember to update your calendar every day. No matter what format calendar you choose, the paper version, online tool or smartphone app should be easily accessible to you at any time. Place your calendar somewhere where you won’t forget to make daily notes. If you are easily embarrassed, consider putting your calendar in a place where no one will see it, such as your handbag or home office. Avoid places like your office because you may not be able to update your calendar from there on weekends, holidays and days you are sick. Remember that keeping your calendar can give you and your doctor important information about your cycle such as how long your cycle is, if it is irregular, as well as when, and if, you are ovulating. It can also cue you and your doctor factors that may cause irregular cycles. For this reason, it’s important to record anything that happens during your cycle on a daily basis. Consider updating your calendar at the same time every day so it becomes a routine. Set an alert or alarm on your smartphone or other electronic device if you find that you forget to update your calendar. Many apps will automatically remind you every day to update your cycle calendar. If you prefer a non-electronic method, consider wearing a bracelet with 30 beads that you can remove. Take off a bead each day that you update your calendar as a reminder. You may want to predict your period using your calendar. Most apps and online tools will mark your electronic calendar with predicted days that you’ll have your period based on earlier cycle patterns. You can also manually predict your periods if you’re using a handwritten calendar. Consider marking the calendar with a sign for predicted dates.  Make sure to save your data every day to get the most accurate predictions for your period and ovulation with online tools and smartphone apps. The more data you have, the better the tool can predict when your next period is.  Figure out when your next period is by counting 28 days, which is the average between period, from your last period. The more data you write or store, the more accurately you can predict how long your cycle is and when you can expect your next period—or even ovulation. Your cycle may be anywhere from 21 to 35 days. When you go to the doctor, you’ll often hear the question “when was the first day of your last period?” The first day of your period is considered to be the starting point of your new cycle. Knowing this date can help you and your doctor figure out a lot of different types of information including the length of your cycle or when you are most fertile. Make sure to write down the first day of your period as soon as it starts. A paper calendar and online or smartphone period calendar generally allow space to write any symptoms you’re experiencing. Your notes can be as in-depth as you like. For example, you could simply mark the first day of your period with a red dot on the date. If you want to be more detailed, you could write, “Period started today. Feeling bloated and lethargic and have terrible back and abdominal cramps.”  Remember that the more detailed your notes are, the more you may be able to discern important patterns in your cycle. If you are embarrassed or pressed for time, use symbols to represent the days you menstruate, if your flow is heavy, or even when you ovulate. Note factors that may seem irrelevant to you like how heavy your flow is or if only have vaginal discharge. Even if you are only spotting, make sure to write this on the calendar. Include any other physical or emotional symptoms you have such as food cravings or frequent crying. All of these can help you know what to expect every month and can clue in your doctor about any irregularities you may be experiencing. Just as marking the first day of your period is important, so is keeping track of how long you menstruate. This can cue you or your doctor into whether your cycle is normal length. It can also help you to take enough supplies with you if you are going away.  Make a note every day you menstruate. For example, if you have your period between the days of the 15th and the 21st in the month of August, you would make some kind of mark on your calendar on the sections the calendar has labeled for August 15th all the way through August 21st. Leave the days you miss or skip your menstruation unmarked. For example, if you started your period on the 15th of August and you finished your period on the 21st of August, but had no bleeding on August 18th, leave that date blank on your calendar. Remember to record any additional information you want including your mood, and flow rate, and other changes in things like color and texture. Many women use menstrual calendars to track ovulation and changes in cervical mucous. This can either promote or prevent pregnancy as well as hint at potential problems. But recording your cycle daily can also clue you in to when to expect the symptoms of PMS, or when to have sex, as well as other possible changes your body might have. Record any physical and emotional symptoms you have every day. Remember it doesn’t need to be anything in-depth. You could write, “Thicker discharge today and smells a bit fishy. Feel great otherwise,” or “no physical symptoms but feeling aggressive.” The only way to figure out patterns in your cycle is to keep track of it over the course of months or years either in your period journal or online tool. This can help you predict everything from PMS to your period and when to use extra birth control. Keep the calendar for at least six months. This is generally enough time to discern specific patterns in your cycle. Every three months or so, examine the data you’ve collected on your calendar or upload it to a spreadsheet or word document. This can help you and your healthcare provider more effectively detect patterns and potential problems in your cycle as well as help promote or prevent pregnancy.  Send any relevant information to your doctor if you’re using a smartphone app or online tool.  Convert a handwritten calendar or journal to a word document or spreadsheet, you can easily search the data and send it to your doctor as well. After a few months, you should be able to see distinct patterns in your cycle. Not only can this help you anticipate your period, but may help your doctor figure out if you have any reproductive issues. Let your doctor know about any patterns you notice and make sure to ask questions if you have them.  Make note of any irregularities in your cycle. If you miss a month, or you skip a lot of days then talk to your doctor at your next visit. Consider using an online tool or app such as Clue to help you detect patterns in your cycle. In many cases, you can use detection apps as cycle trackers as well.  Check your calendar if you are planning a big event like your wedding or a vacation. For example, if you get your period between the 15th and 20th of every month, you might want to skip planning anything big these days and even before to avoid ruining something with PMS.

Summary:
Get a calendar suitable to your needs. Keep your calendar handy. Update the calendar daily. Predict your period. Mark the first day of your period. Keep notes about symptoms. Record each day you menstruate. Note cycle changes on non-menstruating days, too. Continue your calendar over time. Review data. Watch for patterns.