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I don’t want to say my period runs my life, but… it kind of runs my life. I experience each phase of my cycle — menstruation, follicular, ovulation, and luteal — seemingly to the utmost degree, and that’s why it’s so nice to have a tracking app on my phone to, well, keep track of it all.
It also seems I’m not alone. My friends are always messaging our group chat to talk about PMS, periods, and cramps, and also to make jokes about our cycles syncing. Period talk has become way less taboo, which is one reason why there are so many period tracking apps out there, like Stardust, which has an average 4.6-star rating from over 28,000 reviews on the App Store.
Like many other options on the market, the Stardust app allows you to log your monthly symptoms and the start of your cycle to predict your period, but it goes a few steps further. Not only does it give you info about your hormones and how they fluctuate during each phase, but it also allows you to add friends and/or partners to your account so that they know what’s up with you, too.
This is ideal if you experience sweeping highs and lows — like major mood swings during your luteal phase — and want your loved ones to know what’s going on. For astrology fans, the app also has a few esoteric elements that might draw you in. Here’s what it was like to try Stardust, including my honest review.
Fast Facts
- Price: Free to download, $2.99/week for all access, $3.99/month, or $24.99/year
- Best for: Period tracking, mood tracking
- My rating: 4/5
- What we like: Simple, easy-to-use, pretty design
- What we don’t like: Could have more in-depth information, especially about astronomy, with the free subscription
What Is The Stardust App?
Stardust was women-founded and is currently women-run. It’s touted as a free hormone health app that teaches you how to work with the phases of your menstrual cycle. It combines science, astronomy, AI, and ancient wisdom to “help you understand the magic of your cycle, track your experiences, manifest goals, and befriend your body.”
It’s a good app to have on your phone to track your periods and PMS, spot upcoming ovulation windows, and understand your monthly ups and downs — like why you’re suddenly so profoundly tired on a random Wednesday afternoon.
There are five tabs within the app: One that brings you to your cycle; one that shows you your monthly calendar with period and ovulation predictions, as well as the phases of the moon; one where you can add symptoms; another that connects you to other users; and one that gives you hormone and cycle insights. A new feature within the app also allows you to track a pregnancy.
My Experience
There are so many ways to log your period, including the built-in tracker that comes standard on many phones, but IMO it never hurts to try them all to see which one you like best. When I downloaded Stardust, one of the things I immediately appreciated was the user-friendly design. (I’m a sucker for purple.)
When you first get the app, you start by inputting your last period, and just like that it gives you a calendar with predictions for the coming weeks. There’s a monthly calendar to look at, like a spinning wheel (shown above) that reveals the moon phases and the phases of your cycle simultaneously.
There’s another tab where you add your birth control method if you have one, as well as your flow (light, medium, heavy, etc.); info about your cervical mucus (watery, creamy, sticky, etc.); your feelings, cravings, sex drive, and other physical symptoms (like cramps, bloating, increased appetite, etc.); activities (like meditation or running); your altered states (whether or not you had caffeine, alcohol, etc.); and finally any cycle disruptors you might be experiencing, like travel, sickness, stress, etc.
It was super helpful for me to keep track of my feelings and cravings. I’m someone who will walk like a zombie to my corner store for a specific snack, all the while wondering why I feel like I need sour cream and onion chips and nothing else. While there are so many explanations, Stardust’s motto is “every symptom is a clue.” Turns out, it’s very common to crave salt during your luteal phase.
Stardust also explains what your hormones are doing during each phase of your cycle in the most adorable way. During my follicular phase, the app told me that my hormones were “playing a jazz riff” and as a result, it suggested that I might be in the mood for some exercise, like a walk or one (1) push-up. And guess what? I totally was.
When looking at your calendar, you can scroll and tap through various facts and info about your hormones, too. Even though I felt like I knew a lot about menstrual cycles, it was still helpful to dive deeper into what each hormone truly does in your body, like how estrogen upticks during the follicular phase and boosts your serotonin.
Hormones really do make the world go around, possibly more than you even realize. That’s why I thought it was helpful — and even kind of funny — that Stardust doesn’t just talk about the usuals like sugar cravings and fatigue, but also why you might feel the impulsive urge to cut your hair or why you might be in the mood for an extra-deep chat with friends. The answer? Hormones, babe!
As I’ve been using the app, tracking my feelings and activities, and watching as each phase comes and goes, I’ve noticed that the predictions and explanations for each phase all seem incredibly accurate.
This app alleviates the mystery that often surrounds random bouts of energy or sudden urges to nap. While other, external factors can always be at play, it’s comforting to know that a seemingly random swell of emotion, a painful cramp, or a boost of energy may be associated with your follicular phase, ovulation, etc.
The last tab in the app brings you to your cycle type, which is where I learned that I’m a purple moon witch, which according to the app, means I tend to get my period during the waning moon. (You can also be a white witch, a pink witch, or a red one.)
Purple moon witches are said to value self-discovery and deep introspection, so it might explain why I get in my feels so often throughout my cycle.
This is also where I learned that I was born under a Waning Gibbous Moon, like 21% of the Stardust community, and according to the app, that means I’m particularly “self-aware, wise, and drawn to the mystical realm.”
As a Scorpio this felt especially spot-on, and it also got me thinking about how to take better care of myself throughout my cycle. Maybe I really do need to get snacks when I want them, take naps when I need them, and appreciate all the emotional moments and insights that come my way.
The Takeaway
This app has some great visuals. I love the monthly wheel and how it shows me exactly where I am in my cycle. It’s so nice to have a countdown to my period, too, so I can prepare accordingly. And because I’m the worst when remembering the phases of my cycle, I liked that the app is like a little cheat sheet with guides and info.
Stardust has your hormones, predictions, and cycles covered, but I would love if it leaned more into astrology, maybe by sharing how a full moon or other lunar event, like the recent eclipse, can affect your cycle.
It’d also be fun to learn more about the witch types and what it all means without having to surpass the paywall. The app promises to share astronomy and other ancient wisdom like this, so I hope future, free updates dive even deeper.
I’d say Stardust is a great app for tracking your period and understanding your monthly hormonal changes and how they can affect your energy levels, mood, and so on. It also gets bonus points for the moody, celestial imagery, and the simple, easy-to-use design.
Studies referenced:
Verma, P. (2005). Salt preference across different phases of menstrual cycle. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. PMID: 15881866.
