During the Worldwide Developers Conference yesterday, Apple unveiled and previewed its latest set of advancements, which included an expansion of its health-minded offerings.

Among the most anticipated is the new Cycle Tracking app for Apple Watch, which gives women the ability to log important information about their menstrual cycle to not only track the timing of their next period but monitor their flow, symptoms, and fertility as well. While similar to third-party apps such as Flo, Clue, and Glow, Apple’s feature will be preinstalled in Apple Watches, as well as within the Health app on iPhones with iOS 13, which makes the technology more readily accessible. And if you’re trying to conceive, the app’s fertility-window predictions could be a helpful mechanism. (But as Apple stressed with a footnote in its press release, it should never be used as a birth control method.)

“If you’re not trying to get pregnant, it can be falsely reassuring to think that you have a safe zone in which to have unprotected intercourse,” cautions Dr. Lauren Streicher of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause.

As far as Streicher is concerned, period-tracking technology is best used as a tool in benefiting your health altogether. “When you go to the doctor’s office, the first thing they ask you is, ‘When was the first day of your last menstrual period?’ or ‘Do you have regular periods?’” says Streicher. “It’s always useful information to know if you’re having generally regular periods or not.”

Streicher also raises one concern: the protection of the sensitive information women are sharing, particularly on the heels of reports that existing period-tracking apps have been selling data. On that note, Apple may have more reassurance to offer. During the WWDC keynote, presenter Dr. Sumbul Desai addressed the issue of security, saying that “all health data is stored securely, and you can control your data, choosing what, if anything, is shared with other apps.”

While only time will tell what the ripple effects of Apple’s Cycle Tracking app will be within the tech world, there’s no denying that, by helping women build greater awareness and understanding of their menstrual cycle, it’s a worthwhile tool for overall wellness.

According to Apple, the new Cycle Tracking app will be available following the launch of watchOS 6 and iOS 13 later this year.