In recent years, more women than men have started wearing the Oura ring, a health-tracking device once popular among tech enthusiasts and athletes. Currently, fifty-nine percent of all Oura ring users are women, particularly those in their twenties, who are acquiring the rings at a rate 2.6 times higher than other demographic groups.
One female user, who has consistently worn an Oura ring for several years, finds it to be the most reliable tool for predicting menstrual cycles. While many fitness trackers now feature temperature sensors to monitor the basal body temperature—a drop in which can signal the onset of a period—her experience suggests that smart rings like the Oura are the only devices reliably capturing this data.
With a shifting user demographic, Oura has implemented significant hardware and software updates in the fourth generation of the ring, enhancing its convenience and wearability. The user opted for the new brushed silver finish, moving away from the “Stealth Black” option, and noted that the design now resembles jewelry more than ever.
Addressing the challenge of wearing a smart ring, the Oura Ring 4 has been redesigned without the three plastic bumps that housed the photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensors in previous models. These sensors, which include red and infrared LEDs for blood oxygen, green and red LEDs for heart rate, heart rate variability, and sleep respiration, along with a digital temperature sensor and an accelerometer, are now recessed within the ring’s body, making it thinner and more comfortable to wear. Additionally, the ring is available in a wider range of sizes, from 4 to 15, with the user maintaining her usual ring size of 8.
