At Oura, our mission is to give every body a voice. Deepening women’s body literacy is a key part of that mission, and we’re committed to developing meaningful products, insights, and guidance to empower women to better understand their unique bodies.
One exciting milestone has been our groundbreaking integration with the FDA-cleared birth control app Natural Cycles. Using Natural Cycles powered by Oura, women can automatically monitor their temperature trends overnight, providing more control and awareness over their cycle and overall health.
Whether your goal is to prevent or plan pregnancy, learn more about your unique cycle, or even optimize your training and athletic performance, this integration has been a gamechanger for so many women.
We spoke with three Oura members to learn more about how Natural Cycles, powered by Oura, has helped them understand their cycles, enhance their athletic performance, and more.
Maddy M.
Maddy M., 20, is a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) volleyball team. She’s been playing the sport since age 10, and follows an intense training routine as a collegiate athlete.
Maddy received an Oura Ring from her UNC team, and soon started using the Natural Cycles integration.
LEARN MORE: Get Started with Oura and Natural Cycles
How she uses Natural Cycles powered by Oura:
My cycle is very inconsistent, but Natural Cycles has been the best app I’ve tried in predicting when I’ll get my period. I’ve been able to learn which point of my cycle is related to the best athletic performance. For me, that’s typically in the middle of the menstrual phase, through the follicular phase.
Using Oura and Natural Cycles, I’ve also learned the importance of a consistent sleep schedule. In fact, I’ve realized that having a consistent bedtime is almost more important than the amount of sleep I get in helping me feel my best.
Finally, the integration has given me insights and education about my body, such as hormonal fluctuations, which has been really valuable.
Lucy S.
Lucy, 29, based in the UK, is a former acrobatic gymnast. She now works as a BodyCoach instructor and full-time yoga teacher, hosting retreats around the world.
How she uses Natural Cycles powered by Oura:
I came off hormonal birth control in 2020 and suffered from side effects as a result. I hadn’t looked into tracking my cycle before, but when I started reading more about it, I decided to give the Oura and Natural Cycles integration a go.
I was able to track my cycle and fertility seamlessly, seeing the green and red days on the Natural Cycle app each morning after wearing my Oura Ring while I sleep.
I have learned so much about my cycle, and how it impacts my body and energy levels.
I now plan my training sessions around my cycle. My workouts are more efficient than ever, and overall, I feel that my mood and performance stay more consistent throughout my cycle.
For instance, I avoid doing hot yoga in my luteal phase because my body temperature is elevated — something I’m now able to track with the Natural Cycles and Oura integration.
During my follicular phase, I tend to have a lot of energy, so alongside teaching classes all day, I’ll create my own workout flow that includes weights, HIIT, and plyometrics. I’ve noticed that I’m stronger and have better endurance during this phase. I also use my daily Readiness Score in the Oura App to inform my training.
LEARN MORE: How to Align Your Movement With Your Menstrual Cycle
Daryl P.
Daryl, 28, was a Division I runner at the University of San Francisco. After college, she dealt with lingering injuries and paused her running routine. During this time, she discovered yoga, biking, and Orangetheory — a high-intensity group fitness class. She’s since made fitness her career, working as an Orangetheory coach and personal trainer.
How she uses Natural Cycles powered by Oura:
I use it to track my cycle. Within a couple of months of tracking, I’ve gained great insight into how I can train better in line with my cycle. It never occurred to me that my period could have such a huge impact on my training ability.
I used to wonder why some days I felt incredible, strong, and fast, and on other days, I felt weak.
With Oura and Natural Cycles, I was able to understand why I had these ups and downs with training. This process has taught me a lot about my body and how the menstrual cycle plays a critical role in our training.
Now that I am aware of this, I have more empathy for my body. I know what days I can really push myself and what days I should be a little more gentle. Training this way helps me recover and notice my improvement, even when I take it easier.
During the first half of a new cycle, I generally feel my best. I focus this time on pushing myself during workouts. During the second half of my cycle, I notice I feel more fatigued, so I focus more on maintaining a solid pace, and pushing myself for shorter efforts. I make sure to include more walking, stretching, and recovery days during this time.
This integration has taught me the power of listening to my body and learning to read its signals. I’ve learned to train for and with my body, rather than against it. Overall, I feel like I’m supporting my body better, and that’s important.