Tracking your cycle and daily symptoms in Red Tent helps you see premenstrual patterns over time—useful context for PMDD, not a diagnosis. This article explains why that logging matters, how Reports and phase context fit in, and how an exported PDF can support conversations with a healthcare provider.
Why cycle and symptom tracking matter for PMDD
- Premenstrual timing — daily logs tied to calendar dates let you compare how you felt in the days before bleeding versus other parts of the cycle.
- Severity over time — intensity scales and yes-or-no items build a record of how strong symptoms were on each day, not just whether they happened.
- Cycle anchors — logged period starts define cycle boundaries so Reports can group symptoms by phase and cycle range.
- Life factors — stress, sleep, and other daily factors logged beside symptoms add context when you review patterns in Reports.
- Conversation support — structured history helps you describe experiences to a clinician; the app does not diagnose PMDD from your logs.
Daily logs on Home — your building blocks
- Symptoms and life factors save to one daily log per calendar date—the date header on Home sets which day you are editing.
- Daily check-ins rows show up to three logged cards per type; fuller history lives in Reports.
- Everything you save here feeds Overview charts, symptomatic days, and export PDF tables later.
Tap-by-tap logging from Home or the + menu is covered in Tracking symptoms for a day—not repeated here.
Optional structured path — PMDD Diagnosis Tracker
Separate from Daily check-ins rows, PMDD Diagnosis Tracker is a DSM-5-oriented guided check-in on Home with a fixed card deck and optional cycle progress toward a report.
- Uses a read-only clinical card deck—not the customizable Daily Check-in deck.
- Logs DSM-5 symptom groups, period flow, sleep, cravings, and impact questions when qualifying symptoms are present.
- With Duration set to 3 Cycles, a cycle badge tracks progress; completion does not diagnose PMDD in the app.
- Daily symptom and life-factor logs still feed Reports and PDF export whether or not you use this tracker.
Home panel behavior and carousel mechanics are in PMDD Diagnosis Tracker check-in—not repeated here.
Reports — patterns across cycles and phases
- Overview — pick a cycle range to see averages, trends, phase breakdown, symptomatic days, and per-item history from your daily logs.
- Phase breakdown — four rows (Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulatory, Luteal) summarize where in the cycle your logged data clusters; phase names are on-device estimates.
- Symptomatic days — lists days that meet your logged symptom thresholds inside the selected range.
- Custom Analysis — compare specific trackable items over a window you choose; those charts do not appear in the export PDF.
What each phase means in app copy is in the cycle phases article; Reports tab navigation and section detail are in Reports tab overview.
Export a PDF for provider conversations
When you have enough logged cycles, you can generate a PMDD Tracking PDF from Reports. It bundles cycle history, DRSP-style daily grids, and DSM-5 criterion heatmaps from your logs—a structured summary for a visit, not a diagnosis.
- Built on your device from iCloud-synced logs—the PDF is not stored on Red Tent servers.
- Includes a static DSM-5 criteria reference page and a mapping appendix that explain how app trackables relate to clinical framing—educational context, not your personal lab results.
- Monthly DRSP and DSM-5 criterion pages show severity checkmarks from daily logs; empty cells mean no log that day.
- Cover disclaimer and Important Disclaimer on the mapping appendix state the report is for healthcare conversations—not proof of PMDD or a substitute for professional judgment.
How to open Export Report, choose a cycle range, and share the file is in Export a PDF report; what each PDF page contains is in Understanding the report PDF.
At your healthcare visit
- Bring logs or the PDF as a structured summary of what you recorded—not as self-diagnosis or proof that you have PMDD.
- Start with cycle history and when symptoms were strongest relative to bleeding—Reports phase context and PDF DRSP tables support that conversation.
- Use DSM-5 criterion heatmap pages and the mapping appendix when your clinician asks how app symptoms align to clinical criteria.
- Describe impact on work, relationships, and daily life from your logs; the app cannot assess impairment for you.
- Follow your clinician's guidance for diagnosis and treatment—the app and its resources are not medical advice.
- Daily logging how-to → Tracking symptoms for a day.
- PMDD Diagnosis Tracker flow → PMDD Diagnosis Tracker check-in.
- Export steps → Export a PDF report; PDF page guide → Understanding the report PDF.
- Phase definitions → Cycle phases; Reports sections → Reports tab overview.
- Medical disclaimer → Medical disclaimer.