The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and Oura have announced a 24-month study to investigate whether data from a smart ring can reveal early warning signs of spontaneous premature birth. Called Project CRADLE, the pilot will initially involve Corniche Hospital and Mediclinic Airport Road, with results expected in 2028.
According to the October 21 announcement, the study will begin in the coming weeks. Women with elevated-risk pregnancies who choose to take part will wear an Oura Ring from early pregnancy through delivery and continue their standard clinical care. The announcement doesn’t introduce a premature-birth prediction feature for Oura users.
What will the Oura study measure?
Researchers will track heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep and activity over time, then compare those measurements with clinical outcomes. The wider project will also draw on Abu Dhabi’s clinical and genomic data. They want to find out whether a reliable physiological signal appears before spontaneous preterm labour in an individual participant.
The partners say previous research has identified changes in heart rate and heart rate variability in the weeks before delivery across groups of women. CRADLE will test whether those patterns can provide a useful warning for an individual pregnancy.
Our Oura Ring 5 review looks at the sleep and recovery tracking available to everyday users. The partners haven’t specified which ring model they’ll use in the study.
How could the research help care teams?
The study will also assess whether a possible signal arrives early enough to support a clinical decision. The partners describe potential applications such as helping care teams prepare appropriate treatment or arrange access to specialist neonatal care. Those are research goals, not benefits that the pilot has already demonstrated.
Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, described the project as “building the evidence to guide more timely care.” Broader use within Abu Dhabi’s health system would depend on the evidence generated and the necessary regulatory approval, according to the announcement.
How will the pilot be run?
The partners say CRADLE has institutional review board approval and will require participants’ informed consent, with standard clinical care continuing throughout. Researchers will handle data within the Department of Health’s governance and Trusted Research Environment framework. Oura will lead the wearable data science and analysis alongside the participating healthcare institutions.
The partners haven’t announced the sample size or an exact enrolment date, and the release doesn’t include a public recruitment link.
How does this fit Abu Dhabi’s Oura partnership?
CRADLE is the first research initiative under the partnership announced in May 2026. The partners describe it as the first of three planned pilots focused on preventative health, particularly women’s health and cardiometabolic health.
CRADLE takes research beyond consumer features such as wearable readiness and recovery insights. The study will test whether continuous tracking can support earlier warnings in pregnancy; it hasn’t established that capability yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Oura Ring currently predict premature birth?
This announcement does not establish that capability. Project CRADLE will investigate whether wearable measurements can identify reliable early warning signs of spontaneous preterm birth in individual women.
Which Abu Dhabi hospitals are involved?
Corniche Hospital and Mediclinic Airport Road as the initial participating institutions. The pilot will follow women with elevated-risk pregnancies who consent to take part.
When will Project CRADLE results be available?
The partners expect results in 2028. They describe a 24-month pilot beginning in the coming weeks, but have not published an exact start date or public recruitment link.
