Does Oura Ring Track Ovulation?
If you found your way here, I’m going to assume that you or someone you love is on a TTC journey and you’re wondering, does Oura Ring track ovulation?
So, let’s pretend we’re sitting in a coffee shop: I’m enjoying an iced latte with whole milk and honey, and I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about using the Oura Ring to track your menstrual cycle and ovulation.
How the Oura Ring Tracks Your Cycle
There are three main ways I recommend tracking ovulation: cervical mucus tracking, basal body temperature tracking, and ovulation predictor kits.
The Oura Ring uses basal body temperature to help you track your menstrual cycle.
It takes your basal body temperature every morning when you wake up and allows you to look at trends in your temperature over time.
Your menstrual cycle is, on average, 28 days long, with ovulation occurring around day 14 (though only 20% of women ovulate on day 14. You can determine when ovulation occurred based on trends from your own basal body temperature graph. The graph is a bar graph with a baseline and when your temp is below your baseline, you’re in your follicular phase (before ovulation), and after ovulation your temps will be above your baseline.
Here is an example from the month I conceived Ace:
The benefit of the Oura Ringis convenience. Some people take their temperature every morning orally before waking up, but the oura ring does it for you without having to remember to do it.
This gives you consistent temperature data that you can use to look at your own trends throughout your menstrual cycle.
Oura Ring and Ovulation Detection
So, does Oura Ring track ovulation? Yes, but it’s important to understand what the data is actually telling you.
By using basal body temperature, you are confirming that ovulation has already occurred when you see a temperature spike.
The Oura Ring presents your temperature data in a bar graph. Before ovulation, your temperature is typically below the threshold line. When ovulation occurs, you will see a spike in your basal body temperature. Your temperature rises above the threshold line and then stays above that line for the remainder of your menstrual cycle.
I want to be really clear about this distinction, especially if you are trying to conceive: this is confirmation that ovulation occurred.
An egg can only be fertilized by sperm within 12 to 24 hours of ovulation occurring. So, when you see that temperature spike on your Oura Ring, you are looking at confirmation of ovulation rather than a prediction that ovulation is about to occur.
What Oura Ring Data Can Tell You
There’s actually a lot you can learn about your menstrual cycle from your Oura Ring data.
Your data can help you determine if you’re ovulating and when you’re ovulating. You can also use it to determine how long your follicular phase is, how long your luteal phase is, and whether your temperatures are staying above that threshold line throughout your luteal phase.
Personally, I also knew I was pregnant well before I ever took a positive pregnancy test. When we were trying to conceive, I noticed that after ovulation, all of my vitals started changing on my Oura Ring. Obviously, my personal experience is just that (my personal experience) but it was really interesting to see those changes happening in my data before I ever saw a positive pregnancy test.
Limitations of Ovulation Tracking With Oura
The major limitation of tracking ovulation with the Oura Ring is that it uses basal body temperature, which catches the very tail end of your fertile window. Ovulation is confirmed, not predicted.
Ovulation predictor kits can tell you that you’re about to ovulate, whereas the Oura Ring, through basal body temperature, can confirm that you did ovulate.
This distinction is especially important when you’re trying to conceive because again…. an egg can only be fertilized within about 12 to 24 hours after ovulation. Sperm, on the other hand, can survive for up to five days before ovulation.
So, if you’re relying solely on the Oura Ring and waiting for that temperature spike, you may be catching ovulation at the very end of your fertile window rather than identifying the days leading up to it.
When to Use Additional Ovulation Tracking Methods
If you’re new to tracking with the Oura Ring, I would definitely consider using additional ovulation tracking methods. It takes about three to six months for the Oura Ring to collect enough of your data to confidently chart your baseline threshold.
I would also consider adding other tracking methods if your ovulation is unpredictable or if you’re just new to cycle tracking in general. Using methods like cervical mucus tracking and ovulation predictor kits alongside your Oura Ring can help you learn more about your body and start recognizing your own patterns.
And if you’ve been trying to conceive for quite a while, I’m of the mindset that more information can be helpful. Using multiple tracking methods can give you a more complete picture of what’s happening throughout your menstrual cycle rather than relying on basal body temperature alone.
Feeling Lost on Your Trying to Conceive Journey?
If you’re on your trying to conceive journey and feeling lost or confused about what to do next, we have two options for you:
You can work with Jordan and I virtually via The Cycle Script.
Our signature program is our Analysis + Action Plan, and it is completely online. When you sign up, you’ll receive an intake form via email to fill out. Once you send it back to us, we review everything you’ve submitted and send you our analysis along with an action plan for your next course of action.
You’ll also get two weeks of follow-up access to us through Voxer, which is honestly, in my opinion, one of the most valuable parts of the program.
We’ve all been to a doctor’s appointment where you leave and suddenly remember the million questions you forgot to ask. You don’t experience that with this program. For two weeks, you can simply message us whenever a question comes up, 24 hours a day, and we’ll follow up with you.
Your other option is to work with me (Hailey) in person. I see patients in Rockwall and Sulphur Springs if you are local to East Texas. To request an appointment, you can submit a form here or call our office: 903-962-2600.
