ŌURA, the company behind the smart ring that delivers personalized health data, insights, and daily guidance, and Natural Cycles, the first FDA-cleared birth control app, announced their partnership. Natural Cycles users will now be able to sync temperature trend data straight from the Oura Ring, allowing them to track their temperature trends automatically while they sleep rather than manually taking their temperature with an oral thermometer when they wake up.
Natural Cycles works by analyzing established hormone-driven temperature patterns, along with other key fertility indicators, to determine red (fertile) or green (not fertile) days to plan or prevent pregnancy naturally. Previously, Natural Cycles could only obtain temperature data by users manually taking their temperature each morning, says a press release.
“We have been actively working on delivering a seamless measuring experience for our users and we were thrilled when we received FDA clearance to use the Oura Ring with our algorithm,” said Natural Cycles co-founder and CEO Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl. “We are proud to officially launch this partnership and work alongside a company that is similarly committed to delivering advanced health tools to women at a time when it has never been more important. With the help of Oura data, Natural Cycles is powering the future of birth control.”
Reproductive health has historically been underserved by medicine, science, and tech, but thanks to companies such as Natural Cycles and ŌURA, science has taken monumental steps forward in recent years. In 2018, the FDA cleared Natural Cycles as the first contraceptive app, making birth control history. Now, the company has moved one step further by utilizing temperature trend data from the Oura Ring, providing women with an innovative and effortless experience to plan or prevent pregnancy without hormones.
Read more: Apple Reportedly Looking to Add Blood Pressure Monitoring and Fertility Tracking In Smartwatch
The temperature sensors in the Oura Ring generate 1,440 data points each day and are validated to measure temperature changes as precisely as 0.13°C (0.23°F). In addition to temperature trend data, the Natural Cycles algorithm uses heart rate data from the Oura Ring to take into account nights with elevated heart rates, and hence also temperatures, that may be due to lifestyle changes, such as high alcohol consumption, rather than due to menstrual cycle changes.
“Partnering with Natural Cycles is a natural fit given our research has shown that skin temperature data from the Oura Ring can detect important temperature changes throughout the menstrual cycle, including increases around the LH surge, which occurs just before ovulation, and decreases nearing menstruation,” said Holly Shelton, Senior Vice President of Consumer Product at ŌURA. “The partnership between Natural Cycles and Oura shows the power of technology to enable women to better understand and take control of their fertility.”
Beyond cycle insights, the Oura Ring tracks and analyzes sleep quality based on the body’s key vitals and time spent in each sleep stage. During the day, members can utilize the Daytime Heart Rate, Workout Heart Rate, and Automatic Activity Detection features to evaluate their movement and restorative time. These personalized health metrics are then summarized into Sleep, Activity, and Readiness Scores, which are displayed alongside insights and personalized guidance that help provide a holistic view of health.
Natural Cycles users with an Oura Ring can begin syncing their ŌURA data once they switch to ŌURA Mode within the Natural Cycles app. If an Oura user gives explicit consent, ŌURA will only share sleep data with Natural Cycles, which includes temperature trends, HR, sleep length, and sleep stages. The partnership is a one-way integration, and Natural Cycles does not share any sensitive data with ŌURA.
About ŌURA Health
ŌURA is the company behind the Oura Ring - the smart ring that delivers personalized health data, insights, and daily guidance. ŌURA believes health is a daily practice and, with personalized insights and guidance, you can control the course of your health to live a more balanced life. The ring tracks all stages of sleep as well as recovery and accounts for daily activity to provide practical steps for long-term improvement. Founded in 2013, ŌURA Health is headquartered in Oulu, Finland, with offices in Helsinki, San Francisco, and San Diego. ŌURA has raised capital in the past from Lifeline Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Temasek, The Chernin Group, JAZZ Venture Partners, and MSD Capital, among others.
About Natural Cycles°
Natural Cycles° is a leading women’s health company that developed the world’s first birth control app, which has been used by millions of women around the world. As a Class II medical device, the NC°app is cleared by the FDA in the United States and certified to be used as a contraceptive in Europe, Australia, and Singapore. It has also received regulatory clearances to integrate with third-party wearables. For a monthly or annual subscription fee, users have access to and can switch between NC° Birth Control, NC° Plan Pregnancy, and NC° Follow Pregnancy modes within the app. NC°Birth Control’s clinical effectiveness and real-life effectiveness are proven to be 93% effective with typical use and 98% effective with perfect use. Founded in 2013 by Physicists Dr. Elina Berglund and Dr. Raoul Scherwitzl, Natural Cycles° is committed to pioneering women’s health with research and passion. The company’s on-staff research team has contributed to 14 peer-reviewed research papers.
