--- title: "Cycle data is special category data: what that means for you" description: "Your period data falls under the strictest category of the GDPR. Which rights that gives you, and how to use them in five minutes." url: https://myperiod.app/en/blog/cyclusdata-bijzondere-persoonsgegevens lang: en date: 2026-08-21 publisher: PERIOD. B.V., Amsterdam --- [Back to blog](https://myperiod.app/blog) [Privacy & PERIOD.](https://myperiod.app/blog/categorie/privacy) · 6 min read # Cycle data is special category data: what that means for you [Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands](https://myperiod.app/blog/cyclusdata-bijzondere-persoonsgegevens) PERIOD. team · August 21, 2026 Many women do not realise that their cycle data legally sits in the same category as a medical record. Under the GDPR, data concerning health is **special category data** (Article 9). Processing it is prohibited unless an exception applies, and for apps the key exception is explicit consent. ## What does that mean in practice? - **Consent must be explicit, freely given and specific.** A tick box in a cookie banner or a blanket "I accept the terms" is not enough for health data. - **You must be able to say no.** If an app becomes unusable without consent for something the feature does not need, that consent was not freely given. - **Purpose limitation.** Data collected to predict your period cannot simply be reused to target ads. - **Data minimisation.** An app may not ask for more than it needs. If a cycle app wants your contact list or precise location, be sceptical. ## Your four most important rights, and how to use them - **Access (Art. 15).** Request a copy of everything a provider holds about you. Response time: one month in principle. - **Data portability (Art. 20).** You are entitled to your data in a common, machine-readable format such as CSV or JSON. That is exactly why you can import your history with us: see the [step-by-step switching guide](https://myperiod.app/blog/overstappen-van-cyclus-app-stappenplan). - **Erasure (Art. 17).** The right to be forgotten. Note: deleting the app from your phone is *not* an erasure request. As long as your account exists, your data sits on their servers. - **Withdrawing consent (Art. 7).** Must be as easy as giving it. We handle that inside the app. ## An email that does the job "Dear privacy officer, under Articles 15 and 20 GDPR I request a copy of all personal data you process about me, in a machine-readable format. In addition, under Article 17 GDPR I request erasure of my data once the copy has been provided. My account details: [email address]." No answer, or an incomplete one? You can complain to your national supervisory authority; in the Netherlands that is the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. ## Where we stand PERIOD. is a Dutch company, with storage in Europe and processors listed publicly on our [sub-processors](https://myperiod.app/sub-processors) page. You can delete your account and all your data yourself via [/delete-account](https://myperiod.app/delete-account), and request a copy via [/delete-my-data](https://myperiod.app/delete-my-data). Consent for the AI assistant is separate from the rest of the app. *This article is general information, not legal advice.* **Want a cycle app that does not treat your rights as an obstacle? [Download PERIOD. on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/period-cycle-period-tracker/id6757947793) or [on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.myperiod.android).** Want to understand your cycle better? ## Keep reading [Best period tracker app for privacy in 2026: 6 questions that decide itWhich cycle app is safest for your data? Six questions to test any app in two minutes, plus how Flo, Clue, Natural Cycles and PERIOD. compare.Read more](https://myperiod.app/blog/best-period-tracker-app-privacy-2026)[Is PERIOD. free? What the app really costs (and what it does not)Short answer: yes. Tracking your cycle, predictions and reminders cost nothing. Plus and baby are extras. Here is exactly what is what, no fine print.Read more](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/is-period-gratis-wat-kost-de-app)[Does my period app sell my data? How to check in 5 minutesShort answer: you cannot tell from the app itself, but you can from the privacy policy and the trackers. Five checks you can do yourself, on any cycle app, including ours.Read more](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/verkoopt-mijn-menstruatie-app-mijn-data-checklist)