How The Oura Ring Helped Me Track My Health As A Mom And Conceive After Infertility

It’s bold to say that a gadget can truly change your life, but the Oura Ring has actually changed mine. Oura paired with the Natual Cycles app helped me conceive a healthy baby girl after multiple failed fertility treatments. In this Oura Ring review, I'll share my story and reasons why I recommend it for basically everyone, especially women suffering from infertility.

One of the top fertility specialists in the world told me that it was unlikely I could have children. I underwent three IUIs and two rounds of IVF, all of which failed. The night before a scheduled third round of IVF, my husband was diagnosed with COVID-19, preventing us from making embryos that day. Although I went ahead with freezing my eggs, we were advised to wait at least six weeks before my husband could do his part to make another round of embryos.

Wanting to take charge of my own body, I was determined to get pregnant on my own during that waiting period. My determination paid off along with the help of modern technology. I used the Oura Ring (Gen 3) along with the Natural Cycles app to get pregnant. For the sake of full disclosure, I took a lot of vitamins and supplements, but no matter what you take, there are only a few days each month when a woman can become pregnant. Using these technologies helped us get the timing perfectly right.

While the Oura Ring isn’t cheap, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of fertility treatments. And it isn’t just for those trying to get pregnant—it’s also one of the best fitness trackers on the market and ideal for postpartum moms. I still wear my Oura Ring every day to track my steps, sleep habits and calories burned.

This fitness tracker is a must-have for moms. Whether you are postpartum and trying to get your body back or you have an open-ended goal like moving your body more—Oura does it all. This tracker can strengthen your connection to your body—sometimes a disconnected feeling happens for new moms after pregnancy, especially during breastfeeding.

Using the Oura Ring as a mom

Tracking health while juggling motherhood

I’m a busy mom who works from home, takes care of her child and exercises five days a week. Physical fitness is a priority for me, and I tend to be very hard on myself when I don’t move my body enough. This is why I love my Oura Ring. I get in a lot of movement just living my life—chasing around my energetic little toddler, Carlin, even just in my house, adds quite a few steps to my day. So, I don’t feel guilty or bad if I can’t get to the gym.

Oura tracks a lot of different things, including sleep, recovery and overall health. Its algorithm gives you a readiness score, helping determine whether it’s best to push yourself and take that spin class or if you need a rest day. Having a child can be draining, so why force yourself to exercise when you have a low readiness score, and likely won’t be able to make the most of your workout? Recovery is key.

In a world where body standards are constantly changing, and parents are determined to set healthy examples for their children, Oura can help in a weight-neutral way. It’s not about “snapping back”; it’s about being able to run around with your little ones, ensuring you get enough sleep and making sure you're getting what you need physically to be your best self.

Improving sleep quality

Sleep is absolutely crucial for good health, yet moms—especially new moms—can be very sleep-deprived. Oura’s sleep data is incredibly detailed and insightful. Not only does it measure the hours you sleep, but it also tracks your sleep efficiency, time in bed (yes, it keeps you accountable for those 20 minutes of TikTok videos you watch before finally passing out), as well as REM sleep, sleep latency, deep sleep and other key metrics.

If all of this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry! Once you get used to wearing the Oura Ring and understanding the app, it all becomes second nature. The app directs you to make smarter choices based on your own body’s data, too. For example, if you see you didn’t get a restful night of sleep last night, you can make the better choice tonight and go to bed at a more optimal time.

The Oura app can also help you communicate with your partner if you need them to take the night shift, especially if you have babies that wake up multiple times during the night. Simply send them a screenshot from the Oura app and let them know you could really use some extra rest—your partner may be more likely to oblige if there's actual data as opposed to you just saying you’re tired.

Managing stress and self-care

Sometimes, as moms, we feel stressed but don’t quite realize just how stressed we are. Or we ignore our bodies, unaware of what’s really going on—whether it’s an elevated heart rate or simply being worn out from sleep deprivation. Oura lets you know when your body is more stressed than usual by compares your levels to previous days.

So much of what we’re told to do as moms works against our bodies. If we’re exhausted, we’re encouraged to push through, regardless. On a day when we’re well-rested, we might get lazy and sit on the sofa for hours. Knowing these metrics—or rather, understanding what’s happening behind the scenes—can help us plan our days in a way that works with our bodies.

Once you get used to wearing the ring and understanding the metrics, it can be incredibly empowering. It’s also a just more productive way to approach wellness, because it removes some of the guesswork involved.

Using the Oura Ring for fertility and conception

Temperature tracking for ovulation

The Oura Ring can measure subtle changes in body temperature that likely indicate ovulation, depending on the day of your cycle. There isn’t a specific feature for Oura Ring fertility tracking, but rather it works in concert with a subscription to the Natural Cycles app. Oura shares the data and the Natural Cycles algorithm lets you know if it’s a good day to conceive.

Whether you are highly fertile or struggling with infertility, there are only a few days each month when conception is possible. So, if you’re trying to get pregnant, feeling a bit impatient, and don’t want to waste a cycle, or you’re dealing with infertility and want to get the timing just right—this can make a major difference. 

Identifying patterns and trends

While tracking your menstrual cycle is always a good idea, tracking it with Oura and the Natural Cycles app is next level. It’s valuable information to share with your healthcare provider. For example, if you’ve been tracking your ovulation and trying to conceive for six months to a year without success, you’ll have real data to present to your medical team, who may recommend fertility testing.

It can also give you a sense of autonomy, because when you’re trying to conceive, everything feels out of your control. Other than the physically trying part, it always feels as if there isn’t much you can do, but tracking with Oura gives you your power back.

Post-infertility insights

Using Oura and Natural Cycles is also an ideal way to track your fertility after fertility treatments or pregnancy. After a miscarriage, 3 IUIS, two rounds of IVF, one egg-freezing cycle, conceiving a child, and then not getting my period for nearly two years because I was pregnant or breastfeeding—my cycle isn’t as regular as it once was. So using Natural Cycles with Oura has given me a better window into my fertility than simply guessing.

Conversely, you can use the ring and Natural Cycles app on a different setting to avoid conception and abstain when you are ovulating. This is known as Natural Family Planning and a drug-free alternative to typical birth control.

Oura can also help you recover from post-birth and fertility treatments. While you should always listen to your doctor or medical team, checking your stats on the app can help you see if your body is recovering properly.

Who is the Oura Ring best suited for?

While nearly everyone would benefit from using an Oura Ring, it’s particularly helpful for moms looking to improve sleep, recover from workouts (or even just super intense house-cleaning sessions), and manage daily energy and stress levels. It can also be a valuable tool in your fertility journey.

It’s also one of the most stylish activity trackers out there. This was the main reason I wanted it in the first place (and because one of my favourite content creators, Mimi Bouchard talked about it on her podcast). Oura looks just like a regular piece of jewellery, almost like a standard men’s wedding band.

I have the Oura Ring (Gen 3), but they've recently come out with the Gen 4. Available in six colours—Silver, Black, Brushed Silver, Stealth, Gold, and Rose Gold—it easily blends with any outfit. You can even stack another ring with it. And unlike those bulky fitness tracker watches, the Oura ring is sleek and discreet.

Final verdict

If you’re looking for a fertility tracker and fitness tracker that can help boost your overall health and wellness, the Oura Ring checks all the boxes. It has practically all the metrics you could ever want, packaged in an easy-to-use app. The tracker is easy to wear, comfortable and gives you so much useful data. I highly recommend it!

Pros

• Aesethic and unobtrusive
• Available in an array of finishes
• Easy-to-use app
• Tons of useful data and metrics
• Can help those trying to conceive

Cons

• One of the more expensive trackers on the market
• Tracking your cycle is an additional cost and requires the Natural Cycles app
• Ring can only be charged on a dedicated Oura charger