Most people use smart rings to track their sleep, activity and recovery. But could the same technology one day help doctors spot early warning signs of premature birth?
That’s the question wearable technology company ŌURA, the maker of Oura Ring, is exploring through a new research partnership with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH).
The two organisations have launched Project CRADLE, a 24-month pilot study investigating whether changes in heart rate, sleep and other biometric measurements could reveal early warning signs of spontaneous premature labour in individual women.
The research will follow women with elevated-risk pregnancies in Abu Dhabi, combining data collected through Oura Ring with clinical and genomic information.
Although Oura Ring cannot currently predict premature birth, researchers hope the findings could eventually help doctors recognise potential complications earlier and provide more timely care.
What can Oura Ring tell us about pregnancy?
Smart rings have become a way for people to monitor their health without relying on regular manual measurements.
Oura Ring already tracks several physiological indicators, including heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep and physical activity.
While these measurements are commonly used to understand everyday health patterns, researchers are now investigating whether they could also reveal changes associated with premature birth.
Previous population-level research suggests that heart rate and heart rate variability can shift in the weeks leading up to delivery.
However, scientists have yet to establish whether these changes can reliably indicate when an individual woman may experience premature labour.
Project CRADLE aims to explore that possibility.
The study’s full name, Capturing Risk And Detecting Labor signals in Elevated-risk pregnancies, reflects its focus on identifying physiological changes that may appear before spontaneous premature birth.
Why detecting premature birth earlier matters
Premature birth occurs when a baby is born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.
It affects approximately one in ten births worldwide, according to research cited by the project organisers, and remains a significant concern in maternal and newborn healthcare.
While some premature deliveries are medically planned, others occur spontaneously and can be difficult to anticipate.
Doctors currently assess the risk of premature labour using symptoms and medical history.
However, identifying warning signs earlier could give healthcare teams additional time to prepare for a premature delivery.
For example, doctors may be able to provide treatments that support a baby’s lung and brain development or arrange transfer to specialist neonatal care.
This is where wearable technology could potentially make a difference.
Rather than relying only on measurements taken during medical appointments, continuous monitoring could help researchers understand how physiological patterns change between visits.
The key question is whether those changes can provide a warning that is both reliable and early enough to influence medical care.
How will the pregnancy study work?
Project CRADLE will follow a group of women with elevated-risk pregnancies who voluntarily agree to wear an Oura Ring from early pregnancy until delivery.
Throughout the study, the ring will collect information about heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep and activity.
Researchers will then compare these measurements with clinical records and pregnancy outcomes.
By examining patterns over time, they hope to identify whether a consistent physiological signal appears before spontaneous premature labour.
The research will also investigate whether any identified signal could provide enough advance warning for healthcare professionals to act.
However, participants will continue receiving standard clinical care throughout the study. The ring is being used as a research tool, not as a substitute for pregnancy monitoring or medical advice.
Which hospitals are participating?
The initial study will involve Corniche Hospital and Mediclinic Airport Road, two of the leading maternal care institutions in Abu Dhabi.
Both hospitals will support participant recruitment and provide medical care during the research.
The project will operate under institutional review board approval, with informed consent from participants, within the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi’s data governance and Trusted Research Environment framework.
Meanwhile, ŌURA’s research team, which includes more than 50 in-house medical doctors and PhD-qualified specialists, will lead the wearable data analysis.
The study is expected to begin in the coming weeks, with results anticipated in 2028.
Could wearable technology change how women’s health is monitored?
Project CRADLE is part of a wider effort to explore whether consumer wearable devices can provide useful information beyond everyday wellness tracking.
In May 2026, ŌURA and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on preventive healthcare research.
The premature birth study is the first of three planned research pilots, which focus primarily on women’s health and cardiometabolic health.
For ŌURA, the collaboration offers an opportunity to investigate how continuous physiological measurements could support medical research.
Tom Hale, CEO of ŌURA, said:
“For more than a decade, ŌURA has pioneered the science of what continuous physiological data can reveal about a person’s health. Project CRADLE shows what could be possible when a forward-thinking health system combines clinical excellence with accurate, continuous monitoring. We’re proud to work alongside a health authority setting that standard, improving outcomes for families in the Emirate, and creating pathways that can be used across the world to improve health.”
The partnership will combine the company’s wearable technology expertise with Abu Dhabi’s clinical infrastructure, health records and genomic research capabilities.
Abu Dhabi places women’s health at the centre of research
The initiative was announced at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit by H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and ŌURA CEO Tom Hale.
The project forms part of Abu Dhabi’s wider efforts to use health data and preventive monitoring to improve patient care.
“In Abu Dhabi, we are building an intelligent health system of the future,” said Dr. Al Ghaithi. “Continuous sensing enables a shift from reactive care to healthcare that anticipates risk, detects warning signs sooner, and enables faster, more precise and personalised intervention. Project CRADLE brings this approach to pregnancy and birth, one of the most pivotal moments in life, building the evidence to guide more timely care.”
She also emphasised the role of reproductive healthcare in the emirate’s research priorities.
“Women’s health and fertility are at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s health priorities. Our ambition is to become a leading center for reproductive health that is grounded in research that advances care. In the UAE’s Year of the Family, we’re proud that research carried out in Abu Dhabi could improve lives for mothers, babies, and families here and around the world.”
What does this mean for women who already use Oura Ring?
For women who currently use Oura Ring to monitor sleep, recovery or activity, the new study does not mean the device can detect premature labour.
Project CRADLE is investigating whether certain biometric patterns could eventually help identify risk. Researchers must first determine whether those patterns are accurate and clinically meaningful.
Even if the findings are promising, further validation and regulatory approval would be required before any predictive tools could be introduced into healthcare systems.
The research also focuses specifically on women with elevated-risk pregnancies, so its findings may not automatically apply to all pregnant women.
For now, the study represents an exploration of how information already collected by wearable devices might support future medical care.
If successful, it could help researchers understand whether continuous monitoring has a role in identifying premature birth risks earlier.
With results expected in 2028, Project CRADLE could offer new insight into how everyday wearable technology might contribute to women’s reproductive health.
For more information, visit the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi or ŌURA.
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