Tag: chart your cycle

An Honest Review of Oura Ring for Charting Temperature and Cycle Tracking

It’s an exciting time in the world of femtech with multiple products being developed for taking our overnight temperature.

Oura Ring is a new player in fertility awareness. Oura Ring partnered with Natural Cycles, a temperature-only (with optional LH) fertility awareness based method. As of 2022, the ring is approved for use with syncing with Natural Cycles.

Get the sizing kit and don’t make my mistake of ordering the ring size you usually wear 😂

As a traditional charter of my cycle, I wanted to see if Oura Ring would be a good fit as a cross-check to help confirm ovulation without syncing to Natural Cycles.

After five cycles of use and comparisons to other thermometers, I am confident in saying that Oura Ring can be used as sympto-thermal method cross check with some tweaking and conversions. Read on if you would like to see examples and my method of conversion in order to avoid paying that extra fee to Natural Cycles.

First and foremost, you should know that no wearable has current been studied for traditional fertility awareness sympto-thermal methods. Even Natural Cycles has only done a small study of 40 charters to prove that the ring is equivalent to old-school basal body temperature. They found that it mostly lined up, albeit that the Oura temperature often confirmed one day sooner.

If you are charting to avoid pregnancy and reading this article, I highly recommend cross-checking with cervical mucus, cervical position, and/or urinary hormones in addition to the Ring. I do NOT recommend using the Ring alone to avoid pregnancy. If you are seriously avoiding, you should use at least one of the signs mentioned above and wait until those rules are met before having unprotected sex. You should cross-check with oral or vaginal temperatures for a minimum of 2-3 cycles before relying on Oura to confirm ovulation.

We just don’t have the kind of evidence necessary for me to recommend using Oura without other fertility signs, particularly for those strictly avoiding a pregnancy. If you are charting to conceive, then this Ring is perfectly acceptable for confirming you are in your luteal phase.

VIEW FROM THE OURA RING PERIOD PREDICTION SCREEN. OURA will predict menstruation based on body temperature and cycle dates.

Oura Ring is worn 24/7 for full use of its features. Overnight, it detects your sleep and a temperature is determined at this time. Your temperature is displayed when you sync Oura to the app in the morning as a +/- deviation from baseline, as shown in the photo above.

To chart your temperature in an app without Natural Cycles, you will need to choose a baseline. Remember, when we are charting our cycles, we are pattern making. You will need to translate the deviation to the chart so that you can see a pattern of lower and higher temperatures. I chose 97 degrees Fahrenheit as my baseline because it is a whole number that falls in the middle of most fertility awareness charts.

On Day 17, my deviation was -.6 F on Oura. I subtracted -.6F from 97F and got 96.4. That is the temperature I then chart. On Day 18, my deviation was +.3F on Oura. I added .3F to 97F and charted 97.3F on my chart. This formula allows me to see the pattern on a standard chart from Read Your Body.

Traditional methods call for two decimal points. However, this isn’t necessary to see a pattern with ring temperature. Finger temperature tends to show larger temperature shifts than standard waking body temperature taken at the mouth.

If you want to see two decimal places, you must initially purchase a subscription with Natural Cycles. However, it still appears to sync and show two decimals even after the subscription expires as of 12/13/2022. This may be a glitch, so I won’t guarantee it works for you.

The official statement from Oura is that you shouldn’t compare it to other thermometers or use it without Natural Cycles. The reason they say not to compare it is because all thermometers will give different results. As charters, we are smart enough to know that we are looking for patterns and not the exact same result. The reason that they say to use it with Natural Cycles is likely because of the paid partnership as well as to avoid liability for unintended pregnancies. I’d like to say again that using Oura for a traditional FAM without Natural Cycles only has case study level evidence and is not currently endorsed by any organizations. Consider this when choosing it!

Two decimal plays after syncing with Natural Cycles.

What else does Oura ring do that can help me track my cycle health?

  • Sleep information (quality, amount, phases, disturbance)
  • Steps, exercise, calories
  • Meditation and winding down for sleep
  • Stress levels, illness
  • Resting heart rate and sleeping heart rate
  • Rest mode feature. If you have painful periods or are debilitated by any illness, Oura can be informed that you are sick or unwell and your statistics on it will change.
Resting heart rate changes with the phases of the cycle, rising in the fertile window and then again after ovulation. This can be a useful extra sign for cycle tracking. Read my other article on RHR.

What are the details?

  • It is initially approximately $300 USD depending on the model and time of year.
  • It is free to the use the app for the first 6 months, and then it is $5.99 USD per month. I’ve heard some people say they have used without subscribing, but can’t say if temperature feature is available without paying.
  • The battery life is about 5-7 days with all day use and takes about 30 minutes to fully charge.

You can use my link for $50 USD off. This link only works for five people. I will periodically replace the link once a new one becomes available.

For me, the greatest selling point for this ring is NEVER having to remember taking your temperature again. I’m an adult with a busy life and this makes charting so much easier for me. I charge my ring once a week and otherwise forget about it. This is definitely my current favorite femtech for charting your cycle.

A Day in the Life of a Billings Ovulation Method User

Have you ever wanted to know what it is like to chart with the Billings Ovulation Method? This blog attempts to give an overview of what it is like for one individual to chart with the Billings Ovulation Method (BOM) over a single cycle. I go through each day of the cycle and explain my overall charting habits. All times are just approximate. I get personal and discuss some challenges I experience with natural family planning. BOM involves tracking sensation felt at the vulva along with the visible appearance of cervical mucus as a person goes about their day to day activities.

Day 1: Record heavy bleeding. Heavy bleeding feels wet. Done! Users are not allowed to use heavier days in the Billings method when avoiding pregnancy. This is a true day one of a cycle because it was preceded by a Billings peak day.

Day 2: Record heavy bleeding. Heavy bleeding feels wet. Done!

Day 3. Record medium bleeding. Medium bleeding feels wet. Done!

Day 4: Very light bleeding. It is now possible to observe my basic infertile pattern of dry.

8am: I feel dry and see a small amount of blood.

10am: I still feel dry.

8pm: I still feel dry. I see no mucus. Sex is allowed in the evening of this day. We use this day.

Day 5: Extremely light bleeding. Technically this day is not allowed for intercourse since I used the day before and Billings method rotates alternative evenings. We use this day anyway #rulebreaker

Day 6: I feel dry. I do not see anything. I record this day as “possibly fertile” since I broke a rule and used the day before. Every day after intercourse gets this white stamp in the pre-ovulatory time of the cycle.

Day 7: My basic infertile pattern of dry is still there! I notice nothing the entire day in the bathroom and my vulva sensation is dry. Sex is allowed in the evening. I consider my evening 8pm because I go to bed around 9pm on average. We use this day.

Day 8: I feel dry all day and see nothing. However, this day is not allowed since Billings alternates days. We skip this day.

Day 9: I feel dry all day and see nothing. However, we do not use this available day because we are both tired. It happens!

Day 10:

9am: I feel a bit moist. I don’t see anything when wiping in the bathroom.

11am: Still feel moist. I do not see anything in the bathroom.

2pm: Still feel moist. I do not see anything.

4pm: Still moist. Nothing seen.

4:45pm: Walking to my car from work. Still moist!

8pm: Overall observation for the day is moist. I record it. The fertile window has opened. This is known as the point of change.

Day 11:

7am: I feel moist as soon as I walk to the bathroom. I see very scant clear mucus on the tissue.

I do not see or feel anything for the rest of the day.

8pm: Overall observation for the day is “moist, clear”

Day 12:

7am: I feel moist, but see nothing.

10am: I feel moist, but see something white.

8pm: The feeling remains the rest of the day. I record “moist, white” for the day.

Day 13:

7am: I feel dry.

11am: I still feel dry.

1pm: I feel wet sensation when walking to my office. This is a change, so I keep that in mind.

I feel damp the rest of the day. I never see anything in the bathroom. I record “wet” as the most fertile sensation that day.

Day 14:

6:30am: I immediately feel moist.

9am: I see long clear strings when wiping in the bathroom.

11am: I have a wet sensation when walking around.

3pm: I walk around my work place. I still feel moist.

5pm: I see clear strings again.

8pm: I record “wet, clear strings” on my chart.

Day 15:

7am: I feel a gush as soon as I wake up. I do not see anything in the bathroom.

9am: I see scant, clear mucus on the tissue when wiping.

11am: I feel very wet walking around my work place.

1pm: I do not see anything on the tissue.

3pm: I do not see anything on the tissue.

5pm: I feel wet sensation while making dinner.

8pm: I record “wet, clear” as my observation for the day.

Day 16:

7am: I do not feel or see anything when waking up.

9am: I still do not feel or see anything.

12pm: I go for a 20 minute walk. When I get back, I feel slippery sensation. I go to the bathroom and see copious amounts of long, clear mucus.

8pm: I felt slippery the rest of the day. I record “slippery, long clear” on the chart.

Day 17:

6am: I feel dry when waking up.

8am: I don’t see anything or feel anything.

11am: I don’t see anything or feel anything.

8pm: The day was nothing felt, nothing seen all day. I record dry. This means yesterday was my peak day because it was a changing and developing pattern ending in slippery followed by an abrupt dry up to no longer wet or slippery.

Day 18 and Day 19:

I have the same experience as day 17. I pay attention all day and observe no mucus or sensation.

Day 20:

Ovulation is expected to be over and the cervical mucus plug has re-closed for the cycle. Sex is available any time for the rest of the cycle until day one of menstruation occurs. I can chart, but it is not necessary to wait until the evening and observations are less important as sex may interfere at any time.

Day 28: I record heavy bleeding and the rules restart.

Real Talk: Diffulties / Obstacles With Billings Not Seen on the Chart

These are things that I find can be difficul in my own personal experience. I know that people in really long cycles or with other irregularities may have different issues than me.

Challenge One: Alternative evenings only can be a struggle, and it seems even harder for me right before the fertile window opens due to my mood at this time of the cycle. This follicular phase is much longer for me than my luteal phase on average, and this means alternative evenings is the rule for most of my cycle. If someone has a partner with a conflicting schedule, this can especially be offputting. I think anyone who is going to practice this method should consider whether this is practical for their lifestyle.

Challenge Two: Expected abstinence in Billings can be hard, and I have fairly short fertile windows on average. I originally practiced sympto-thermal, and I switched to Billings when I realized that overall consecutive abstinence was much less overall (for my own cycle, Billings: 9 days, Sympto-Thermal: 14+ days). I tend to break some rules still, but this is much more suitable for my fertility intentions level than sympto-thermal.

Look out for my next blog on “A Day in the Life of a Marquette User.”

Disclaimer: Do not try to learn how to chart from this post. Everyone has their own unique cycle and this is just an example of charting with Billings in a regular cycle. Please reach out to me if you would like to learn this method with me as your guide. Alternatively, you can find a teacher here.

Why did I choose to become a fertility awareness instructor?

Why did I choose to become a fertility awareness educator?

Fertility awareness is the sex education I wish I learned in middle school.

When women actually learn how their fertility works, they learn that getting pregnant is not as easy as the drop of a hat. We learn to appreciate and live with rather than work against our fertility.

Almost every person who I’ve seen read #takingchargeofyourfertility or take a FAM class comes out of the experience saying, “Why have I not always known this information? I wish I could have known this when I was younger!” Learning fertility awareness changed my life, and I know it can change yours too.

Do I believe FAM is the right method of birth control for every woman?

No, it is probably not.

But I do believe that every woman should be taught how to understand her own body. What she does with that information is up to her.

Fertility awareness gave me the ability to avoid pregnancy on my own terms. It gave my spouse more knowledge about my body and the changes I experience during my cycle. It has strengthened my relationship in more ways than I can name.

If you want to learn FAM, I suggest getting an instructor. Check out this website for a list of instructors.