Flo glossary

A

Access code is a 4-digit code that you can use to protect your Flo account. iOS users can also open the app using Touch or Face ID.

Acne is a skin condition caused by oil and dead skin cells clogging hair follicles. Acne can cause different types of blemishes — whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples are a few of them. 

B 

Basal body temperature (BBT) is the temperature of the body after a period of resting. Measuring BBT as soon as you wake up every day can be helpful for estimating when ovulation occurs.

C

Cycle is the time from the first day of one period to the day before the next period.

Cycle & Ovulation settings is a section in the app Menu where you can specify your average period, cycle, and luteal phase lengths, disable chances of getting pregnant in the calendar and add cycle days to your calendar. 

Contraception reminders help you remember to take a pill, change a patch, ring, or implant, get an injection, or check the strings of your IUD. When you enable reminders, the app understands that you’re using birth control and will adjust its predictions and content accordingly.

Cramps — as you may well know— are pains in the lower abdomen that can be throbbing or cramping. A chemical the body produces, called prostaglandin, causes cramps by making the uterus contract (imagine a fist clenching). Although the uterus contracts throughout the entire menstrual cycle, it contracts more strongly during periods to help the uterus shed its lining. Sometimes these contractions are so strong they make the uterus press up against blood vessels, cutting off the supply of oxygen to the muscles, which can cause pain. Lots of people get cramps just before and during their periods. 

D

Due date is the date that labor is predicted to spontaneously occur. The due date is usually estimated by adding 280 days (nine months and seven days) to the first day of the last menstrual period.

E

Endometriosis is a condition that can be painful, especially during periods. It occurs when tissue that’s similar to the lining of the uterus —the endometrium — grows in other places, like the uterine tubes or ovaries. Even though the tissue isn’t in the uterus, it still responds to hormones as they shift throughout the cycle, and it bleeds like regular endometrium does too, which basically creates lots of wounds, which create problems. Endometriosis can cause issues with fertility, especially if it’s untreated. The good news is, there are lots of treatment methods out there to choose from.

F

Fertile window is a period of time that’s about six days long. This chunk of time includes ovulation and the days that unprotected sex could result in pregnancy. An egg doesn’t have to be present for sex to result in pregnancy: An egg lives 12–24 hours after it’s released from an ovary. But sperm can live inside the female body for up to five days. That’s why the fertile window begins five days before ovulation — because sperm from sex during those days could still be around to fertilize the egg when it’s released.

Follicular phase is the phase of the menstrual cycle that starts on the first day of your period and ends with ovulation. During this phase, little sacs in the ovaries called follicles ripen; one of them becomes dominant, and the egg it contains matures and is released during ovulation.

G 

Gestational age is a term used to describe how far along a pregnancy is. Gestational age is measured in weeks, and it’s counted starting from the first day of the person’s last period.

H

Health Assistant is an interactive dialog tool that provides information. Our advanced chats are designed to help you better understand your body and the impact your cycle can have on your mood, energy, skin, and fitness levels.

I

Insights is a section and tab in the app that contains a content library of articles, insights, videos, courses, surveys, and stories from 80+ health and medical experts on various topics.

Irregular cycles are cycles that vary in length by eight days or more, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Cycle length is counted starting from the first day of one period to the day before the next period, and it’s normal for cycles to not all be the same length. It’s only when they vary by eight or more days that they’re considered irregular.

L

Lochia is a combination of mucus, tissue, and blood that’s shed by the uterus after delivery so it can replace its lining. On average, lochia comes out for about five weeks after giving birth.

Log symptoms is a functionality of the app that lets you track daily symptoms and events in your life. Information you log helps Flo provide you with useful and relevant insights. To log your symptoms, tap “+” on the main screen. 

Luteal phase is the phase that starts after ovulation. It ends when your next period starts.

Luteinizing hormone (LH) is produced by the pituitary gland. Although it’s involved in lots of processes in the body, in Flo, we mainly talk about how it affects pregnancy, puberty, and ovulation. For example, when LH increases in the middle of your cycle, it causes an egg to be released from one of your ovaries (ovulation). And ovulation tests look for LH, so the person taking the test can know they’re going to ovulate in 24–48 hours.

M

Metric system is a system of measurement. If you’re using the imperial system of measurement, you can disable the metric system in Menu – Settings. 

Missed miscarriage is a type of miscarriage that doesn’t have typical symptoms, like vaginal bleeding, cramping, and passing tissues.

O

Ovaries are a pair of glands in the female reproductive system. They produce hormones and egg cells, or ova. 

Ovulation occurs when an ovary releases an egg. Once it’s released, the egg moves down the uterine tube so that it can be fertilized by sperm. When ovulation occurs — it only happens once per cycle — can vary from cycle to cycle, but for most people, it occurs 10–16 days before their next period.

Ovulation: my method is the option to use to log any method other than ovulation tests and BBT that helps detect ovulation. That could be an ultrasound, symptoms (ovulation pain), medications that stimulate ovulation, tracking cervical position and texture, etc. Tapping this button lets Flo know that you’re ovulating on that day.

Ovulation test strips or ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) can be used to determine when you’re ovulating. They’re used at home, and they detect luteinizing hormone (LH) in urine 24–48 hours before ovulation occurs.

P

Periods, or menstruation, are normal vaginal bleeding that occurs in a healthy menstrual cycle. The blood that comes out during your period isn’t just blood — it also contains tissue that was lining the uterus (endometrium). Each cycle, the endometrium builds up so it can support a potential pregnancy. If pregnancy doesn’t occur, the uterus sheds this lining so it can start over again — that’s your period. Most people start getting periods between the ages of 11–14. After that, they’ll keep getting them until menopause, which usually occurs around the age of 51. Periods can last anywhere from 2–7 days and be considered normal. 

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder when infrequent or prolonged periods and excess male hormones are typical. People with PCOS develop lots of fluid-filled sacs (cysts) in their ovaries. It’s also common for the ovaries not to release eggs regularly. PCOS is among the leading causes of infertility, but there are treatment options for it.

Predictions is a functionality of the app that makes a forecast of the length of your cycle, period, and luteal phase and predicts your ovulation day and fertile days. Flo uses a set of complex algorithms to make these predictions. They’re AI-driven and take your user settings and cycle history into consideration.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a combination of symptoms that pop up a week or two before a period. Over 90 percent of women say they have symptoms of PMS, which can include bloating, headaches, and mood swings. Sometimes, these symptoms are so bad that it’s not possible to go to work or to school, but other times, they’re barely noticeable. It’s thought that PMS is connected with hormonal fluctuations after ovulation. Usually, PMS gets better a few days after a period starts because hormone levels begin rising again.

R

Report for a doctor is a report made by Flo that has information about your last six cycles, patterns, and most logged symptoms. The report can be shared or printed, but it’s currently only available for iOS users. 

S

Secret Chats is a safe digital environment where users can anonymously discuss a variety of topics and get support from millions of other Flo users worldwide. In Secret Chats, you can share personal stories and opinions and gain a broader sense of what other people like you experience.

Secret Chats rules is the policy we use to moderate the comments in Secret Chats. You can read the rules here.

Skip period is when you start a new pack of birth control pills by skipping the placebo pills. You can also just skip the scheduled break in taking pills. When you do this, you won’t have the withdrawal bleeding that counts as your period.

Spotting is light bleeding that occurs outside of your period. Spotting is often just a sign of ovulation, but it can also be caused by a few health conditions. Tracking spotting can help you learn more about your body.

Stories are a type of personalized content in Flo. You can find them on the stories carousel on the main screen under the circle. All your stories are synced with your goal in the app, your cycle phase, and Flo’s predictions for your cycle. A story may contain facts, stats, tips, videos, recipes, links, and other information that’s relevant to your current cycle day or a symptom or event that you log. 

U

Unprotected sex is sex that could lead to pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). If you use a method of contraception that can protect against pregnancy and/or STIs, log “protected sex.” It’s up to you to decide how to log sex based on your own personal assessment of the reliability of your method of protection.

Uterus is also sometimes referred to as the womb. A hollow, muscular organ, it’s part of the female reproductive system and is located in the pelvis. The uterus is where a fertilized egg can implant itself at the beginning of conception. If an egg isn’t fertilized, the uterus will shed its lining, and you’ll get your period. The uterus is home to the developing fetus during pregnancy. 

V

Vaginal discharge contains fluids, cells, mucus, and bacteria from the cervix and vagina. It can have many different colors, smells, and consistencies, depending on health, where you are in the menstrual cycle, and a few other factors too. 

Normal vaginal discharge lubricates the vaginal walls and provides some protection from infection. Cervical mucus, which is part of vaginal discharge, changes over the course of the cycle to create an environment that makes it easier for sperm to travel through the cervix around the time of ovulation so that it can fertilize an egg.

Y

Yesterday’s pill is an option that lets you log the missed pill from the previous day. If you forget to take a birth control pill, some manufacturers recommend taking it the next day as soon as possible and another pill at the scheduled time. If you take two pills, log this information by tapping “taken on time” and “yesterday's pill.” Be sure to check the directions that came with your pills or contact your health care provider before making changes to your medication dosages.