Enacting Care Practices through Interaction with Menstrual Cycle Trackingapps

Abstract

This research was developed in response to the scenario of new apps being developed as a complementary way of supporting healthcare practices. Therefore, the paper aims to analyze the interaction between menstruating people and menstrual cycle monitoring apps (menstruapps), as well as their experiences of care practices in healt. This work is based on an exploratory qualitative study conducted in two stages: mapping of the most used menstruapps and interviews with menstruating people who use these apps. An increase in self-knowledge based on the systematic recording of information on the app and, consequently, greater empowerment and autonomy in self-care was evident. However, a relationship of dependence on the apps was also made clear, as they play the role of extended memory, ensuring that data is not lost, serving as references for making decisions about health conditions and as agents of constant surveillance of life. Additionally, the apps studied demonstrate interaction with their users based on a gender binary, which impacts on how bodies are perceived and treated in this interaction with technology, leading to normalization within this binary framework.