Designing for Menopause: What I Learned and Where I Believe ŌURA Should Go Next
Listening First
With the ŌURA ring, every life stage can recieve the thoughtful attention it deserves.
Recently, I conducted a series of conversations with people navigating menopause and postmenopause to better understand their experiences. The stories they shared underscored that menopause is not a single moment, but a shift that continues to ripple across health and daily life long after the last period occurs.
One participant put it simply, mentioning that it never feels quite like it’s over especially as certain key symptoms persist long after close of their cycle. Sitting down and holding space with this group of folks made it clear that the transition doesn’t come with a clean ending. It unfolds, and as it unfolds, support systems are too often missing.
The Themes I Heard
I conducted over 5 hours of interviews with folks from all walks of life, experiencing either menopause or postmenopause (check out my post: “Let’s Talk About Menopause” to learn more about each of these stages!). Here’s what they had to say about their experiences.
Hot Flashes Dominate! Every conversation circled back to the same disruptor: hot flashes, which can affect confidence, clothing choices, intimacy, and sleep. Participants described how disruptive they could be, explaining that even one intense episode might leave them drenched, exhausted, or emotionally overwhelmed. In those moments, it’s not about pushing through discomfort, rather it often meant abandoning plans altogether, sometimes turning around and heading home.
Information is overwhelming or absent. Participants described a gap between what they needed to know about menopause and what they could easily access. Many refered to online sources, but the guidance often felt too wordy, overly technical, or simply nonexistent.
Support = access. One of the questions I asked participants was, “What does it mean for you to “feel supported” at this stage of your life?” Their answers were insightful. Support was defined not just as emotional care, but was far more comprehensive. Participants mentioned their perspective of support featuring resources like financial means to access talk therapy, physical therapy, supplements, and community. Just as important, participants called out the need for normalization of menopause, and those who are experiencing it, in our society. Feeling supported, then, was not only about having tools to navigate symptoms; it was about being seen, understood, and included without stigma. This broader definition of support underscores how much work remains to create environments where people can move through this stage of life with dignity and ease.
Whole-person approaches preferred. While participants welcomed clinical insights, most prefered non-invasive solutions as their primary tools for interventions. Some of the tools they noted that were of the biggest help to them were methods like hydration, herbal medicine, cooling strategies, or even movement.
Tech has untapped potential. Most of the participants had not used wearables or apps for menopause. Some were surprised they didn’t already exist! One participant pointed out the gap between cycle-tracking apps and menopause support, noting how the technology seemed to drop off just as her own needs were changing. For her, it felt like a clear disconnect that left her disengaging as a user.
What This Means for Product Design
From these conversations, a few clear product principles emerge:
Normalize, don’t pathologize. Menopause is not an illness or deficit . The design for solutions in this space should affirm dignity and use a whole-person approach.
Hot flashes are the hero in the value proposistion! Relief here creates the most immediate value and daily relevance.
Personalization over prescription. People want individualized guidance rooted in lifestyle changes and gentle ways to adapt given emerging body signals.
The style of delivery is key. Insights need to be clear, digestible, and contextual.
Three Product Directions
Menopause Mode: Personalized Insights Through Data
The big idea: “Menopause Mode” transforms ŌURA into a personalized guide, helping members map and understand their unique menopause journey by integrating passive sensing with self-logging.
We know that menopause brings on a constellation of symptoms. Anything from hot flashes to mood shifts and sleep disruptions. These changes often feel unpredictable! ŌURA is uniquely positioned to capture the subtle physiological signals behind these experiences, like body temperature variation, heart rate changes, and sleep quality trends.
With “Menopause Mode,” members could opt into a dedicated feature that tracks and contextualizes symptoms across time. Imagine the ring detecting a hot flash via temperature and heart rate shifts, and then surfacing correlations such as: “Your hot flashes decrease on days when hydration is higher” or “You sleep more deeply when your evening temperature stays stable.”
Think of it as a living map of menopause, powered by ŌURA. By combining self-reported symptoms with sensor-driven insights, ŌURA would empower members to not only recognize patterns, but also take proactive steps to navigate this life stage with greater clarity and confidence.
Cooling Companion: Immediate Relief in the Moment
The big idea: “Cooling Companion” turns ŌURA from a passive observer into an active ally, delivering real-time support when members need it most, in the middle of a hot flash!
We know that hot flashes can be disruptive, overwhelming, and hard to manage in the moment. ŌURA already tracks temperature and heart rate in real time, making it uniquely capable of detecting when a hot flash may be occurring.
With “Cooling Companion,” the ring could nudge members with a gentle vibration and surface actionable and effective strategies right away. Over time, these nudges could extend into meaningful partnerships with cooling products whether that’s smart bedding (like the Pod5), fabrics, or smart home platforms, ultimately serving to bridge the gap between digital detection and physical comfort.
This unique solution is like an always-available support layer, powered by ŌURA’s sensing capabilities. By shifting from simply reporting symptoms to actively offering relief, we transform ŌURA into a tool that not only understands the menopause experience, but also eases it.
Peer Circles: Building Community Through Shared Experience
The big idea: “Peer Circles” turn ŌURA from a health tracker into a trusted companion by connecting members in the same life stage to share experiences, strategies, and support through their menopause journeys.
We know that menopause is both highly personal and deeply communal. ŌURA has the unique ability to detect physiological patterns whether it be sleep disruption, temperature shifts, or recovery dips, and use those insights to connect members experiencing similar changes.
With “Peer Circles”, we could create opt-in, localized, private groups organized by life stage (perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause). These circles become safe, supportive spaces where members share daily reflections, exchange coping strategies (i.e.: cooling routines or clothing hacks to care for a hot flash episode), and celebrate progress together.
This solution is like a menopause wellness club powered by ŌURA data. By anchoring the experience in shared lived journeys, we give members not just insights, but also belonging; transforming Oura from a tracker into a trusted companion through one of life’s most significant transitions.
How I Would Prioritize
I always like to ground my product prioritization in feasibility and impact. According to that framework, “Menopause Mode” is the highest priority build for me. It builds on ŌURA’s existing sensors and analytics and solves the most urgent user pain point with relatively high feasibility. “Cooling Companion” comes second. It requires real-time detection accuracy and behavior prompts, but has potential for significant quality-of-life impact once detection is reliable. “Peer Circles” feels like a longer-term play. While lower on feasibility (requires content/community network infrastructure), it has massive impact potential for cultural change and user trust.
All this being said, my reccomendation would be to start with “Menopause Mode” as the core foundation, then layer on “Cooling Companion” to deliver immediate relief, and ultimately grow into “Peer Cirlces” to normalize menopause as a shared journey.
Menopause is not something to “get through” in silence. It is a truly profound transformation that touches every part of someone’s life whether that’s at the physical, emotional, or social level. With OURA, there’s an opportunity to design tools that meet this transition with care, clarity, and dignity, and that’s what get’s me excited as a Product Manager because when technology listens deeply, it can help people feel seen. And that’s where real support begins!
Next up: I’ll be showcasing some designs to highlight how these various ideas could come to life!
