Abu Dhabi to equip high-risk pregnant women with smart rings in preterm birth study

Abu Dhabi health authorities are launching a two-year pilot study that will provide wearable devices to expectant mothers with high-risk pregnancies, aiming to detect early warning signs of premature birth.

The Department of Health has partnered with Oura, the Finnish company behind the world’s smallest smart ring, for the initiative known as Project Cradle – an acronym for Capturing Risk And Detecting Labor signals in Elevated-risk pregnancies. The project is designed to use continuous monitoring data to help care teams intervene earlier and potentially save lives.

How the pilot will work

Participants in the study will wear the Oura Ring, a titanium smart ring that tracks sleep patterns, heart rate, body temperature and stress levels. The data will be combined with clinical and genomic records held in Abu Dhabi’s health system to build a better understanding of risk factors linked to preterm birth.

Research indicates that biometric markers such as heart rate can change in pregnant women in the weeks before delivery. The pilot will test whether these shifts can be detected in individual women, allowing health professionals to take proactive steps.

The study is expected to begin in the coming weeks and will follow a group of women in Abu Dhabi with elevated-risk pregnancies. Participants will wear the Oura Ring from early pregnancy through to delivery. The latest model, the Oura Ring 5, is available in the UAE at a retail price of Dh1,599.

During the trial, the ring will monitor heart rate, sleep and activity. Researchers will pair these biometrics with clinical outcomes to create a comprehensive dataset. The goal is to determine whether a reliable physiological signal appears before spontaneous preterm labour and whether that signal can be used to define a threshold for clinical action – early enough for care teams to administer treatments that improve baby outcomes, such as lung and brain development, or to arrange transfer to specialist neonatal care.

Two of Abu Dhabi’s leading maternal care centres, Corniche Hospital and Mediclinic Airport Road, will take part in the pilot phase.

Noura Al Ghaithi, undersecretary of the Department of Health, announced the initiative alongside Oura chief executive Tom Hale at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, which continues at Adnec until Thursday.

“In Abu Dhabi, we are building an intelligent health system of the future,” Dr Al Ghaithi said. “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 added that women’s health and fertility are central to Abu Dhabi’s health priorities, and that the emirate aims to become a leading centre for reproductive health grounded in research that advances care.

Tom Hale said the partnership highlights the potential for health care and technology to combine to improve lives. “Project Cradle shows what could be possible when a forward-thinking health system combines clinical excellence with accurate, continuous monitoring,” he stated. “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.”

Premature birth and long-term strategy

Premature, or preterm, birth is defined as delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy. It can occur spontaneously or after medical intervention. The condition affects approximately one in ten births globally and remains one of the most unpredictable complications in pregnancy, often leading to long-term health challenges for both mother and child.

Common health issues among premature babies include anaemia, respiratory problems, jaundice, brain bleeding and heart conditions. They also face a higher risk of developmental difficulties such as learning disabilities, hearing and vision impairments, and cerebral palsy. Mothers who experience preterm labour are more likely to suffer from anxiety, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and difficulties bonding with their newborns, according to health experts.

Wearable technology is playing an increasingly important role in preventive healthcare. Abu Dhabi has set out a five-pillar framework to guide the integration of such technology into everyday care. The framework was developed by health authorities in partnership with Deloitte, serving as a knowledge contributor, and includes guidance on consumer adoption, privacy and clinical regulation.

According to Deloitte, the global wearable technology market was valued at $92.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $229.9 billion by 2033.

Disease prevention guidance in Abu Dhabi already operates under Department of Health protocols. Through the authority’s Sahatna platform, data from wearable devices is combined with longitudinal health records from Malaffi to generate a personalised health age score. This gives users insights into the clinical and lifestyle factors affecting their health and suggests changes they can make to improve their quality of life.