For many people, the menstrual cycle is one of the strongest migraine patterns there is, and one of the easiest to miss day to day. If you track your cycle, Migraine Sentry folds it into your patterns and forecast alongside everything else it watches.

Turning it on

Cycle tracking is optional and off by default. Enable it in Settings, and Migraine Sentry reads your cycle data from Apple Health: the same data you may already log in the iPhone Health app, with Apple Watch Cycle Tracking, or through a third-party cycle app that writes to Apple Health. You can also log flow directly in Migraine Sentry's daily check-in; if both exist, Apple Health takes priority.

Works without an Apple Watch. Cycle phase is computed on your device from your flow history (check-ins or Apple Health), so it's one of the signals that powers your patterns and forecast even if you don't wear an Apple Watch.

What it looks for

Research consistently links migraine attacks to the days around menstruation: hormone shifts in the window just before and after your period starts are among the best-documented migraine triggers. Migraine Sentry checks your own history against your cycle:

  • The perimenstrual window: whether your attacks cluster in the days around the start of your period.
  • Phase patterns: how your migraines distribute across your cycle, shown in the Patterns view once enough history exists.
  • Your forecast: when your history shows a cycle link, your current phase factors into the morning forecast like any other signal.

As always, the app reports what your data shows. If your migraines have no cycle relationship, it won't invent one.

Privacy

Cycle data is treated like every other health signal: it's read from Apple Health, analysed on your device, and never uploaded anywhere. Disable cycle tracking in Settings at any time and Migraine Sentry stops using it in your patterns, forecast and insights.

Migraine Sentry is an informational wellness tool, not a medical device. Cycle-related patterns support conversations with your healthcare provider; they are not a diagnosis of menstrual migraine.