Oura recently announced some new features that track women’s hormonal health. The already existing Cycle Insights feature, which tracks menstrual cycles, will now take hormonal birth control methods into account. The smart ring maker says this “first-of-its-kind experience” will help users see how these methods can impact aggregate biometric data.
It’s designed to provide “personalized guidance during complex hormonal changes” so it can integrate data from more than 20 combinations of birth control methods. These include pills, patches, IUDs, and implants. In addition to tracking bleeding and various potential side effects, users should be able to use Cycle Insights to find out whether these methods are affecting temperature patterns, sleep, and recovery.
There’s also a partnership component here. Oura has teamed up with virtual health platform Twentieth Health. The pair developed a portal within the smart ring app that users can tap to “seamlessly connect” with a licensed health provider to discuss birth control options and provide them with new prescriptions.
However, this is a post-roe vs wade United States of America. There are legitimate fears that period-tracking data could be used in court cases. In other words, there are many reasons why people might consider keeping things like this private and out of the sight of tech companies.
Ora has also announced a new Menopause Insights feature that tracks quality of life across 22 possible symptoms. The app includes a questionnaire that “provides fully personalized, on-demand explanations of results based on individual responses and longitudinal biometric data.” The company promises that it can give users “actionable results” that can inform lifestyle changes.
Both of these devices will be available globally with the rollout starting on May 6th. However, there’s some bad news here, as these features are only for Aura Ring 3 and 4. The Oura Ring 4 is probably the best smart ring for people who are considering getting into the water with a wearable.
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