Oura is betting big on women’s health. The health-tracking ring maker rolled out two new hormonal health features this week – birth control support and menopause insights – while also announcing a five-year sponsorship deal with the United States Tennis Association and the US Open.
The moves signal Oura’s continued push into reproductive health tracking, a growing market as wearable devices become more sophisticated at monitoring biological signals. The company is competing with Apple, Fitbit, and other health tech companies for a piece of the women’s health market, which research firm Grand View Research estimates will reach $60 billion by 2027.
Birth control tracking gets smarter
Oura’s new birth control feature builds on its existing Cycle Insights tool, which already tracks fertility signals and menstrual cycles. Now, users can specify their preferred birth control method and see how hormones affect their biometric data.
The feature connects with Oura’s AI chatbot, called Advisor, to help users understand what’s normal for their bodies. Users can also connect with licensed healthcare providers through Twentyeight Health, a reproductive and sexual healthcare platform.
Tackling menopause with data
The company’s Menopause Insights feature uses something called the Menopause Impact Scale – a 22-symptom questionnaire that Oura developed to measure quality of life during menopause. The tool combines survey responses with biometric data from the ring to provide personalized insights.
This addresses a significant gap in health tracking. Most wearables focus on younger, more active users, but menopause affects roughly half the population. “There’s a lot of chatter in this space, and we want to show up, maybe not first, maybe not fastest, but absolutely the most thoughtful,” Dr. Chris Curry, Oura’s clinical director of women’s health, told MobiHealthNews in March.
Tennis partnership brings Oura to elite athletes
Separately, Oura signed a five-year deal to become the official sponsor and wearable fitness device partner of the US Open. Starting this year, every US Open athlete will receive an Oura Ring through the player gifting suite, along with recovery education.
The partnership also extends to USTA coaching programs, league championships, and USTA members. It’s part of a broader trend of professional sports embracing wearable health tech:
- WHOOP partnered with the NFL Players Association in 2017 and provided devices to all NFL players in 2020
- Oura previously partnered with the WNBA and NBA in 2020
- Telehealth company Onrise partnered with the United Soccer League in 2023 for mental health support
- Mental health platform Unmind teamed up with Major League Baseball in 2020
Why this matters
These partnerships serve dual purposes. They provide elite athletes with recovery data while giving companies like Oura credibility and visibility. For Oura specifically, the tennis partnership could help validate its sleep and recovery tracking among high-performance users.
The women’s health features represent a bigger strategic shift. As wearable devices become more accurate at tracking biological signals, companies are racing to own specific health categories. Oura is positioning itself as the go-to device for reproductive health tracking, competing directly with Apple Watch and newer players like Ava and Clue.