I’ve used my Oura Ring and Natural Cycles as contraception for five months — I’ve answered frequently asked questions
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LAST summer I decided to come off hormonal contraception, so it seemed like the perfect time to test out the Oura Ring with a Natural Cycles subscription.
Below you can read about my experience using the viral smart ring and tracking app over the past five months and my honest thoughts and feelings about how they work together.
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As a 26-year-old woman, my social media ads feature various tracking apps and wearable tech, so I’d seen a lot about the and partnership.
I’d been on hormonal contraception for a while, and like so many young women who were put on the pill from a crazily young age for skin concerns, I didn’t have a grasp on what my body was doing with the lack of periods.
What is an Oura Ring?
An Oura Ring is a smart wearable device that tracks and collects data on over 20 biometrics that impact health and well-being.
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The ring, which is recommended for wear on the index finger, is waterproof, so you don’t need to take it off unless you’re charging it.
This is great for capturing a full picture of your health.
There's a dizzying array of smart rings available, but Oura is the biggest name thanks to its celebrity status, great reviews and helpful integrations – one being Natural Cycles.
How does an Oura Ring work?
The Oura Ring gives you a full overview of your well-being by tracking multiple biometrics during the day and night.
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The ring feeds data into the Oura app, which splits out different categories of insights, including sleep, readiness, activity, stress levels, resilience and heart health.
Something that excited me about the Oura Ring was its ability to track your basal body temperature, which provides insight into where you’re at in your menstrual cycle.
This data feeds into the Natural Cycles app, informing you when you’re most or least fertile.
According to Dr Kerry Krauss, Natural Cycles’ in-house OB-GYN and Medical Director: "The thing that sets Natural Cycles apart from period tracking apps is its unique and certified algorithm.
"It analyses body temperature, historical period data and , (which are optional) to learn the pattern of users’ unique cycles and work out a daily fertility status."
The Oura Ring’s temperature tracking feature is supposed to be one of the best out there, and the alternative — using a thermometer while still in bed each morning — isn’t as accurate and is so easy to forget to do.
Another feature I was interested in was sleep tracking. I used to have a Fitbit and now have a Garmin, so I’ve had sleep insights for a while, but I’m always sceptical about how accurate the data is.
I do think there’s a confirmation bias at play — if Oura tells me I’ve slept badly, I’ll think I’ve had a worse night’s sleep than I initially woke up feeling — but I do like having more insight into how my body is resting and recovering.
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Natural Cycles: What are natural contraceptive methods?
As a 26-year-old woman, I've tried different types of contraception and other than a rough experience with the copper coil they’ve all been hormonal.
I switched to the hormonal coil back in 2023, but last year I decided to go hormone-free.
There aren’t many options when it comes to natural contraceptive methods, but Natural Cycles is great for those looking to step away from hormones.
Natural Cycles uses your basal body temperature to track ovulation. From this, it gives you red and green days, indicating when you’re more or less fertile.
In my quest to understand more about my body, I’ve found the Oura and Natural Cycles partnership helpful and insightful; it provides amazing clarity for women.
Dr Kerry explains: "Because of its algorithm, Natural Cycles is effective from day one, including for those switching from hormonal birth control.
"The app will always err on the side of caution by providing users with more red days as it gets to know their unique cycle."
I was sceptical about how accurate tracking temperature was as a contraceptive method, but I’ve been impressed with how Natural Cycles is tailored to you.
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Natural Cycles is the first and only app to be cleared by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE Marked, meaning it meets EU health and safety standards.
Instead of working on the assumption that your cycle is 28 days, its algorithm gathers all the data pulled from Oura – as well as anything you manually upload – to tailor the cycle information to your body.
This is really important when it comes to predicting when your ovulation window is. It's your most fertile period, which will dictate to many people when to abstain from intercourse or use another method of contraception.
It's also incredibly useful for anyone suffering from PCOS, endometriosis or irregular cycles, or anyone actively trying to conceive.
How accurate is Natural Cycles with the Oura Ring?
According to the brand, Natural Cycles is 93% effective with typical use, which accounts for occasional unprotected sex on fertile days.
It claims to be 98% effective with "perfect" use when used with the Oura Ring, which entails consistently avoiding unprotected sex on red (fertile) days identified by the app.
The Oura Ring boasts high accuracy in temperature measurement, reportedly accurate to within 0.36°C (0.648°F) under real-world conditions. This precision is important for detecting the subtle temperature shifts that indicate ovulation.
It’s important to note that the overall effectiveness of Natural Cycles relies on both accurate temperature data and consistent adherence to the app’s guidance.
While the 93% and 98% figures are impressive, it’s worth remembering that no method is 100% foolproof.
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How to connect Oura to Natural Cycles
Connecting Natural Cycles to the Oura Ring was super simple, though I did have to resort to Google to find instructions.
I set up my ring and account in the Oura app, then went via a link on the Natural Cycles website to set up my subscription.
Once I’d set up my Natural Cycles account, I logged into the app and was directed to a screen that set up app-to-app syncing.
I had to log into my Oura account via the Natural Cycles app and then it was all set up and working straight away.
I started inputting data as soon as it was set up to kick-start the algorithm with as much accurate data as possible. However, it takes a few months to settle and provide truly accurate tracking data.
Does Oura ring track periods?
The Oura Ring itself can track periods without Natural Cycles, but it relies on you to manually upload to the app that you’ve started your period.
The app will track your cycle and predict when you might be due on your period; however, the data and insights on your menstrual cycle are nowhere near as in-depth.
I find that using Natural Cycles with Oura is the best and most accurate way to track my periods and symptoms.
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How to track ovulation
Natural Cycles uses the temperature data from Oura to identify peaks in your temperature, which in turn determines your ovulation window.
Your ovulation window is around five days and is your most fertile period.
When Natural Cycles believes you’re approaching ovulation, it’ll prompt you to take LH (or ovulation) tests which you can then upload into the app to generate more accurate results.
I already had ovulation tests, so have used these alongside the Oura ring and Natural Cycles to get a full picture of my fertility cycle which has felt really empowering.
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Although I’m currently not trying to get pregnant, gathering all of this information about how my body works has given me confidence in how to approach things when I do begin trying to conceive.
For now, it’s been great at providing accurate results about when and when not to have unprotected sex to avoid pregnancy.
How much is Oura with Natural Cycles?
The Oura Ring isn’t cheap and will set you back at least £299 (for the older Gen 3) and then it costs £5.99 per month for the membership.
It’s a lot of money; however, I would say that it is worth the price if you take your health and wellness seriously.
Natural Cycles has two subscription options: one is annual and costs £62.99, and the other is billed monthly and costs £9.99 per month. (This means you'll save around £57 if you opt for the annual plan).
This means that if you are on the monthly Natural Cycles billing, both subscriptions will set you back a not-inconsiderable £15.98 per month.
However, I would honestly highly recommend it if you’re looking to come off of hormonal contraception and want to get a better understanding of your health.
You can get 15% off your annual Natural Cycles subscription plus a free thermometer when you and the discount code will automatically be applied at checkout.
This will bring your subscription cost down to £53.54, working out at less than £4.50 per month.
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Is the Oura ring the best smart ring for period tracking?
I've been really impressed with how well the Oura ring tracks my period and its integration with Natural Cycles.
I haven’t personally used any other methods to track, though the Apple Watch is also approved to be used with Natural Cycles.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring also has limited compatibility with Natural Cycles.
In fact, the Samsung Health app incorporates certain elements completely free of charge, meaning you don't need to pay a monthly or annual subscription.
However, functionality is more limited, and because the Galaxy Ring isn't a certified Natural Cycles device, insights might not be as accurate.
And if you're an iPhone user, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is pretty much out anyway, as it's only really compatible with Android devices. (You can read more about it in our Samsung Galaxy Ring vs Oura piece).
Other smart rings including the and Ultrahuman rings also offer period tracking but aren't integrated with Natural Cycles.
Another option is to go old school and use a thermometer to measure your basal body temperature.
However, it must be before you get out of bed for it to be accurate, which means there's more room for human error.
Oura and Natural Cycles: the verdict
After using Oura Ring and Natural Cycles together for five months, I have to say I am a huge fan.
After using Oura Ring and Natural Cycles together for five months, I have to say I am a huge fan.
The Oura Ring is great at providing lots of health and wellness insights in a really easy and digestible way.
It is also comfortable while also being stylish and subtle, meaning you stay consistent with wearing it, which is key if you use it to track your fertility.
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It does scuff quite easily — I have the brushed titanium finish and you can see the wear and tear, which doesn’t bother me too much, but it’s something I’m conscious of.
To avoid this I’ll take it off when I am doing weights at the gym or any sort of DIY.
As I mainly use it for my fertility tracking, removing it for these activities doesn’t bother me too much but if you’re using it for fitness it’s something to bear in mind.
I have been super impressed with the Natural Cycles and Oura integration and how seamlessly they work together.
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The accuracy and ease of using both apps make me feel way more educated about what’s going on in my body, which feels amazing after such a long time of not having a clue!
I would highly recommend Natural Cycles and think it's worth combining it with the Oura Ring to ensure that data is super accurate.