Sexual & Reproductive Health Products Best Fertility Journals of 2023 for Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle The PCOS Fertility Journal is an affordable option that helps track your cycle By Danielle Zoellner Danielle Zoellner LinkedIn Twitter Danielle Zoellner is a freelance writer with an emphasis in health and wellness. She graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Learn about our editorial process Updated on September 21, 2022 Medically reviewed by Peter Weiss, MD Medically reviewed by Peter Weiss, MD Peter Weiss, MD, is a board-certified OB/GYN and expert in women's health. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr Rich Scherr is a seasoned journalist who has covered technology, finance, sports, and lifestyle. Learn about our editorial process Print We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. A fertility journal is a helpful addition to one’s efforts to conceive or better understand what is going on throughout their cycle each month. These journals will typically prompt the user to record information like the start of a period, the end, and signs and symptoms that could indicate ovulation. Plus, since they aren’t connected to the internet, they don’t have the same concerns around privacy as using a period tracking app. When searching for the best fertility journal, it is helpful to find ones that include thorough calendars for charting, helpful prompts, and accurate advice for recording each data point. “A written menstrual log or journal can be used to track cycles along with other pertinent data, including cervical mucus changes, ovulation predictor kit results, basal body temperature, physical symptoms, and mood changes,” says Lindsay Kroener, MD, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist with UCLA Health. These characteristics should give women a fuller idea of what is happening in their cycles and what the different signs and symptoms could mean. After speaking with doctors and OB-GYNs, we researched the best fertility journals based on how they allow you to organize information about your cycle, how many cycles they allow you to track, helpful prompts, and more. Here, the best fertility journals for period tracking on the market. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Fertility Journal at Amazon Jump to Review Best Bullet Journal: Fertility Heaven My TCC Planner at Amazon Jump to Review Best with Prompts: The Happy Hormone Tracker: A Wellness Journal for Monthly Cycle Tracking and Hormone Balance for Women at Amazon Jump to Review Best Charts: Hormonology Menstrual Cycle Tracker Journal at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Beginners: Period Tracker: Menstrual Cycle Journal at Amazon Jump to Review In This Article Expand Our Picks How We Selected What to Look For FAQ Why Trust Verywell Health Best Overall PCOS Fertility Journal Amazon View On Amazon Pros Affordable price Includes a 40-day cycle length Helpful prompts Cons Lacks a yearly calendar When looking for a fertility journal, you want one that will provide helpful prompts that can assist you in understanding more about what is going on in your body—which is why we named the PCOS Fertility Journal our top pick. It is a thorough and affordable way to chart your menstrual and ovulation cycle with ease. We like that this journal allows you to track your period for an entire year (though it doesn’t have a calendar feature). Also, each cycle includes 40 days, which works great for women whose cycle extends longer so they can track each day (since each person’s body is different and the number of days can fluctuate). When tracking a cycle, the journal will prompt you to record helpful measurements that include your waking temperature, cervical mucus changes, a spike in the luteinizing hormone (LH), and cramping. All of these indicators can not only assist you in determining when you might be ovulating during your cycle, but they can also give you a fuller picture of what is going on with your body and when you might experience certain symptoms, whether they’re for PCOS or a sign of something else. Price at time of publish: $9 Best Bullet Journal Fertility Heaven My TCC Planner Amazon View On Amazon Pros Variety of charting and list options Includes motivational phrases Cons Geared toward trying to conceive and may not be as helpful to people who aren’t family planning Bullet journals are great because they allow you to list, chart, log and draw different elements of whatever you are recording to assist with your journaling. The My TTC Planner combines a variety of charts and list elements that will assist you as you log your cycle each month. This journal includes daily diary pages that will help you log exactly what you are feeling and thinking about that day of your cycle. Also, the journal includes a helpful calendar chart so you can record exactly when your cycle starts, ends, and when you are experiencing symptoms that likely indicate you are ovulating. Besides all that, the journal also helps you log the medications that you are taking, appointments you are attending, and weekly coaching questions. The journal really does it all as you chart your fertility journey, especially if you are trying to conceive. Price at time of publish: $8 Best with Prompts The Happy Hormone Tracker: A Wellness Journal for Monthly Cycle Tracking and Hormone Balance for Women Amazon View On Amazon Pros Includes helpful information and prompts Easy to use Cons Only charts 90 days of your cycle Not as helpful in predicting cycles Tracking your cycle and ovulation can be a confusing process, especially if you do not know what exactly to measure each day. The Happy Hormone Journal makes the process easy for the user with helpful prompts and information scattered throughout its 125 pages. Some of the helpful information in the journal is an explanation of the four phases of a menstrual cycle and just what one might expect during each of the phases. Also included in the journal is the ability to chart 90 days' worth of your cycles. This journal asks for information about your overall mood, stress level, diet, and much more so that you can fully understand how your body is responding each month. The one downside about this journal, though, is that it only allows for three months worth of charting, which is not as helpful depending on how long you want to record your cycles. Price at time of publish: $24 The 10 Best Heating Pads of 2023 Best Charts Hormonology Menstrual Cycle Tracker Journal Amazon View On Amazon Pros Includes 12 cycles worth of charts 50-day long cycles for each chart Cons No helpful prompts included No area to write notes One of the most important features of a fertility journal is the charting that allows you to record exactly what is going on each day of your cycle. The Hormonology Menstrual Cycle Tracker Journal includes 12 cycles worth of charts that go for 50 days each to help record anything and everything that is going on throughout your cycle. These monthly calendars can assist you in knowing when your next period will start and end and when you might be ovulating. This information is important so that you can plan out intercourse around when you are the most fertile. This includes charting the medications you are taking, the symptoms you are experiencing, and your mood. A helpful key to follow is also incorporated at the top of each chart to assist you as you record your experience. Overall, this journal should give you all the information you need to understand what is happening in each cycle. Price at time of publish: $12 The 8 Best Menstrual Cups of 2023 Best for Beginners Period Tracker: Menstrual Cycle Journal Amazon View On Amazon Pros Easy to use Includes fill-in-the-blank months and years Cons Geared toward teenagers so may not be helpful for everyone Calendars could be organized better The process of charting your period and ovulation can be complicated, which is why a journal that provides step-by-step instructions is helpful. The Menstrual Cycle Journal includes prompts for charting your cycle each month. The journal will assist the user in documenting when they are bleeding, the pain they are experiencing, symptoms, and much more. Each calendar also includes a key to help guide you on how exactly to chart everything so that there is no question as to what you were experiencing in previous months. Altogether, the journal is a great beginning option for someone who wants to learn how to chart their cycles each month. Price at time of publish: $7 How We Selected When selecting the best fertility journals, we spoke with gynecologists and spent hours researching the best and most helpful journals. Those we consulted with included: Valerie Baker, MD, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and fertility and professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Johns Hopkins Medicine Lindsay Kroener, MD, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist with UCLA Health We determined which journals to feature based on a few key criteria as recommended by gynecologists: calendars, prompts, and accuracy (if they help you predict your cycle). We compared each journal’s benefits, along with their price, to determine how valuable they will be for different people (if you’re trying to conceive, you may want a place to log your temperature every day, whereas someone new to menstruating may just want to jot down notes about their cramps and length of their period). While some choices on our list may be more expensive, we wanted to give a wide range of options that would fit all needs and budgets. We compiled this list of the best fertility journals based on all of these factors. What to Look For in a Fertility Journal Calendars Often these fertility journals include calendars that assist the user in marking different aspects of their cycle—such as when a period starts and ends and symptoms that could be related to ovulation. “We think of the menstrual cycle as a vital sign, and so it really does help women to know, just like blood pressure and pulse, when the cycles are happening at a regular interval,” says Valerie Baker, MD, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and fertility and professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “That is an indication that a lot of things are going right.” Calendars should include spaces to record the start and end of your period, as well as when you are having intercourse, your basal body temperature, and other markers that could indicate ovulation. The calendar feature is a particularly useful tool if you are trying to conceive since you want to increase intercourse around the time that you are ovulating for the best chance of getting pregnant. Ovulation typically occurs 14 days after the start of your period. “When attempting pregnancy, recording when you have intercourse is important to make sure this occurs over the ovulatory period,” Dr. Kroener says. “While the egg is typically only good for 12-24 hours, sperm can last in the reproductive system for two to five days. Thus intercourse leading up to and at the time of ovulation is ideal.” Prompts Some journals include prompts for how you are feeling during each day of your cycle, as well as any symptoms like cramping or pain that you might be experiencing each day. “Some women might want to have an idea when they are having other symptoms like poor sleep or depression and just try to see if it is linked to the period or not,” Dr. Baker says. Journaling these experiences for several months can assist you in understanding when you might have certain mood changes or symptoms during your cycle so you are prepared for them. Accuracy Although tracking your menstrual cycle has many benefits, the process is not entirely foolproof in determining what exactly is going on each day of a cycle. For best results, you need to record your cycle daily. “Most importantly, make sure to accurately and consistently enter cycle information,” Dr. Kroener says. “Definition of day one of the cycle is defined as the first day of full flow, which can be confusing if you have spotting leading up to your cycle.” Dr. Kroener also recommends charting various points each day, such as basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and bleeding, instead of relying on just one data point. “One mistake can be to rely too heavily on one marker of ovulation rather than looking at the whole picture,” she says. “For example, some [people] may have more difficulty or are unable to pick up the LH surge on ovulation predictor kits (OPKs). However, when cycles are otherwise very regular with cervical mucus changes, ovulation is likely occurring.” If you are using these journals to naturally prevent pregnancy, then it is important to know that this is not as effective as other birth control methods and contraceptives. “If [people] use it, they have to understand that it is imperfect and either be using a backup contraceptive method or be willing to accept that risk of pregnancy,” Dr. Baker says. Frequently Asked Questions How do you track your period without an app? “The most important part of tracking your menstrual cycle, with or without an app, is recording accurate data and doing this consistently over multiple cycles,” Dr. Kroener says. “The input of period timing, as well as OPK results, cervical mucus changes, physical symptoms, and other pertinent variables, is key.” After collecting these data points for a few months, the information can indicate to someone what exactly is going on in their cycle. “Typically, ovulation occurs on average 14 days prior to the onset of menses, although there can be some variation,” Dr. Kroener adds. “Analyzing cycle length data in conjunction with the timing of positive LH surge and ovulatory cervical mucus that is wet, stretchy, and slippery can help accurately determine how long your cycles are and when ovulation happens relative to expected cycle length.” How do you track your ovulation with an irregular cycle? For women with an irregular cycle, it might be difficult for them to accurately track ovulation. “If cycles are very irregular and inconsistent, using menstrual history alone to predict ovulation will alone not be sufficient,” Dr. Kroener says. “While other markers such as OPKs, cervical mucus, and basal body temperature can be attempted, it is much more difficult to know when to track these markers and when to expect signs of ovulation.” Even though you might not be able to chart when your ovulation starts with 100% accuracy, tracking your experience throughout your cycle could still be beneficial. “Even if one piece by itself may have some plus-minus accuracy, you can still chart putting it all together to make some sense out of your cycle,” Dr. Baker says. “For example, charting can help you to know if you are bleeding only during your expected menstrual time or are bleeding throughout the month.” This information is beneficial for a healthcare provider to know during your next visit, no matter if your cycle is regular or irregular. How much do fertility journals cost? Fertility journals can cost between $7-25. The price varies depending on how long they allow you to track your cycle, whether they have things like prompts and calendars, and what kinds of materials they are made of (a leather-bound journal might be pricer than something that’s spiral-bound). Our best overall choice, the PCOS Fertility Journal, was only $9 at the time of publish and will let you track your cycle for an entire year. Why Trust Verywell Health As a seasoned health writer, Danielle Zoellner knows the importance of finding just the right product to fit your medical needs. Throughout her career, Danielle has interviewed a variety of experts in the medical and health fields while reviewing dozens of products. Her experience and knowledge in the field work together to help readers like yourself find the best products for your daily life. 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