I was searching for an app a few months ago that would help me track my partner’s period but couldn’t find anything.
After some research I found out about this kinda crude app called “PMS Buddy” that was made in 2009 and supposedly had over 100,000 users. But it just kinda disappeared around 2011. I couldn’t find any reasonable answer as to why it vanished.
My partner and I ended up trying the clue app partner feature, but my partner doesn’t actively track her cycle, so that didn’t really work. I needed an app that I could exclusively use as a man.
PMS Buddy was pretty sexist in it’s marketing from the looks of it trying to time “that time of the month” in some kind of joking capacity.
I really wanted an app to exist that respectfully allows a man to track his partner’s cycle to know when ovulation, PMS, and all the different phases start. As a loving way to stay in sync with her.
Long story short I ended up creating the app DuoSync because I wanted to have an app with a period tracking feature specifically for partners that approached the topic respectfully.
Anyways, what happened to that old app from 2009 “PMS Buddy”?
PMS Buddy (also seen as PMSBuddy) started out as a quirky website and app designed to help people track premenstrual syndrome (PMS) timing. It was largely marketed toward men so they could be “forewarned” about their partner’s cycle.
It looks to have launched as a web service under the domain pmsbuddy.com in 2008/2009 and quickly gained users (~100,000 registered accounts) as well as a Facebook app and an iPhone app version.
After those early years, PMS Buddy just quietly faded from public view.
One of the most likely theories as to what happened was that the hype died, developers stopped supporting it, and other period trackers took over market share.
Still nothing specifically for men overtook it since then.
That gap has now been filled by the DuoSync app, specifically designed to help men stay in sync with their partner’s menstrual cycle.
Other major period tracking apps like Flow and Clue now also have partner sharing features that help keep partners in the loop.
Insensitive and controversial
PMS Buddy drew both virality and controversy when it was popular. Many viewed it as disrespectful which may have also pressured developers to pull it from the app store.
Others truly found it useful and wanted to stay one step ahead of the women in their lives cycles.
I wasn’t able to find any official statement from the original developers anywhere to confirm or deny the theory.
However the app’s founder Jordan Eisenberg is on the record saying “There are a lot of people out there that think we’ve been misogynistic, but we tell them it’s a free country and if you don’t like it don’t use it. We think it has an altruistic side to it. It helps people.”
Most likely the project was abandoned for his other business endeavors like UrgentRx.
A new app arises – “DuoSync”
I wanted to find this app on the app store to help me stay in sync with my partner but could not find something specifically for men.
So I created the app DuoSync to help partner’s do just this.
The difference is that DuoSync requires the consent of your partner and is designed with care and respect.
I created this to be a helpful and respectful app to help real couples.
Unlike novelty apps such as PMS Buddy, DuoSync is designed as a respectful, consent-based alternative that focuses communication and shared understanding rather than stereotypes.
Instead of framing cycle tracking as a way for one partner to “brace themselves,” DuoSync emphasizes awareness and privacy. The app focuses on education about hormonal cycles, mood patterns, and wellness insights, encouraging empathy and proactive conversations.
By prioritizing consent, transparency, and health literacy, DuoSync presents itself as a modern relationship tool that supports partners collaboratively.
DuoSync is available on Android and iOS now.