Menstrual state monitoring

• US 10,575,829 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2015
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EarlySense Ltd.
• Original Assignee: EarlySense Ltd.
• Inventors: Shinar, Zvika, Meger, Guy, Tsoref, Liat, Halperin, Avner
• Primary Examiner(s): Skibinsky, Anna
• Application Number:
  US14/726,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20160058428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0012 Ovulation-period determination for animals A61D17/002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/045 Newborns, e.g. premature baby monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0487 Special user inputs or interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0826 Detecting or evaluating apnoea events A61B5/4818 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4306 for evaluating the female reproductive systems, e.g. gynaecological evaluations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4343 Pregnancy and labour monitoring, e.g. for labour onset detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are described for monitoring a female subject. A sensor is configured to monitor the subject without contacting the subject or clothes the subject is wearing, and without viewing the subject or clothes the subject is wearing, and to generate a sensor signal in response to the monitoring. A computer processor is configured to receive the sensor signal, and to analyze the sensor signal. In response to the analyzing, the computer processor is configured to automatically identify a menstrual state of the subject, and to generate an output in response thereto. Other applications are also described.

Claims

1. A monitoring apparatus for monitoring a female subject, during a sleeping session, the monitoring apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to monitor the subject and to generate a sensor signal in response to the monitoring,

the sensor comprising a semi-rigid sensor plate having edges that are hardened with respect to a central portion of the sensor plate, the hardened edges configured to allow only direct forces generated from on top of the sensor to affect the sensor plate such as to generate the sensor signal; and

a computer processor, configured;

to receive the sensor signal,

to derive from the sensor signal data related to one or more physiological parameters of the subject during the sleeping session,

using the derived data, to identify sleep stages of the subject during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session,

to identify a menstrual state of the subject,

in response to

(A) comparing over a plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the one or more physiological parameters exhibited while an identified sleep stage is a particular sleep stage to (ii) respective baseline values of the one or more physiological parameters,

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while an identified sleep stage is not the particular sleep stage, and

to generate an output to the subject indicating her menstrual state in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject.

2. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to identify the subject'"'"'s menstrual state without determining a temperature of the subject.

3. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject, by generating an output that is indicative of a menstrual state of the subject that is currently occurring.

4. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject, by generating an output that is indicative of a predicted occurrence of a future menstrual state of the subject.

5. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to identify the menstrual state of the subject, using a machine-learning algorithm.

6. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject, by generating an output indicating that the subject is likely to ovulate within a given time period that is less than 10 days.

7. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject, by generating an output indicating that the subject is likely to experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) within a given time period that is less than three days.

8. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured:

to derive the data related to the one or more physiological parameters of the subject during the sleeping session, by deriving data related to one or more physiological parameters of the subject selected from the group consisting of;

a cardiac-related physiological parameter, and a respiration-related physiological parameter.

9. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the computer processor is configured to identify sleep stages of the subject during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session by using the derived data to identify when the subject is undergoing slow-wave sleep, and when the subject is not undergoing slow-wave sleep, during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session; and

the computer processor is configured to identify the menstrual state of the subject,

in response to

(A) comparing over the plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the one or more physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is undergoing slow-wave sleep to (ii) the respective baseline values of the one or more physiological parameters

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is not undergoing slow-wave sleep.

10. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the computer processor is configured to identify sleep stages of the subject during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session by using the derived data to identify when the subject is undergoing REM sleep, and when the subject is not undergoing REM sleep, during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session; and

the computer processor is configured to identify the menstrual state of the subject,

in response to

(A) comparing over the plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the one or more physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is undergoing REM sleep to (ii) the respective baseline values of the one or more physiological parameters,

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is not undergoing REM sleep.

11. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the computer processor is configured to identify sleep stages of the subject during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session by using the derived data to identify when the subject is undergoing REM sleep, and when the subject is not undergoing REM sleep, during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session; and

the computer processor is configured to identify the menstrual state of the subject,

in response to

(A) comparing over the plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the one or more physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is not undergoing REM sleep to (ii) the respective baseline values of the one or more physiological parameters,

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is undergoing REM sleep.

12. A monitoring apparatus for monitoring a female subject, during a sleeping session, the monitoring apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to monitor the subject and to generate a sensor signal in response to the monitoring,

the sensor comprising a semi-rigid sensor plate having edges that are hardened with respect to a central portion of the sensor plate, the hardened edges configured to allow only direct forces generated from on top of the sensor to affect the sensor plate such as to generate a sensor signal; and

a computer processor, configured;

to receive the sensor signal,

to derive from the sensor signal data related to one or more physiological parameters of the subject selected from the group consisting of;

a cardiac-related physiological parameter of the subject during the sleeping session, and a respiration-related physiological parameter of the subject during the sleeping session,

using the derived data, to identify sleep stages of the subject during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session,

to identify a menstrual state of the subject,

in response to

(A) comparing over a plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the one or more physiological parameters exhibited while an identified sleep stage is a particular sleep stage to (ii) respective baseline values of the one or more physiological parameters,

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while an identified sleep stage is not the particular sleep stage, and

to generate an output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject.

13. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the computer processor is configured to identify the subject'"'"'s menstrual state without determining a temperature of the subject.

14. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject, by generating an output that is indicative of a menstrual state of the subject that is currently occurring.

15. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject, by generating an output that is indicative of a predicted occurrence of a future menstrual state of the subject.

16. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the computer processor is configured to identify the menstrual state of the subject, using a machine-learning algorithm.

17. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject, by generating an output indicating that the subject is likely to ovulate within a given time period that is less than 10 days.

18. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output in response to the identified menstrual state of the subject, by generating an output indicating that the subject is likely to experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) within a given time period that is less than three days.

19. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the selected physiological parameter is the cardiac-related physiological parameter of the subject during the sleeping session, and the computer processor is configured to derive the data related to the cardiac-related physiological parameter of the subject during the sleeping session by deriving data related to heart rate variability (HRV) of the subject during the sleeping session.

20. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the computer processor is configured to identify sleep stages of the subject during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session by using the derived data to identify when the subject is undergoing slow-wave sleep, and when the subject is not undergoing slow-wave sleep, during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session; and

the computer processor is configured to identify the menstrual state of the subject,

in response to

(A) comparing over the plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the one or more physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is undergoing slow-wave sleep to (ii) the respective baseline values of the one or more physiological parameters,

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is not undergoing slow-wave sleep.

21. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the computer processor is configured to identify sleep stages of the subject during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session by using the derived data to identify when the subject is undergoing REM sleep, and when the subject is not undergoing REM sleep, during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session; and

the computer processor is configured to identify the menstrual state of the subject,

in response to

(A) comparing over the plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the one or more physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is undergoing REM sleep to (ii) the respective baseline values of the one or more physiological parameters,

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is not undergoing REM sleep.

22. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the computer processor is configured to identify sleep stages of the subject during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session by using the derived data to identify when the subject is undergoing REM sleep, and when the subject is not undergoing REM sleep, during the subject'"'"'s sleeping session; and

the computer processor is configured to identify the menstrual state of the subject,

in response to

(A) comparing over the plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the one or more physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is not undergoing REM sleep to (ii) the respective baseline values of the one or more physiological parameters,

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while the subject is undergoing REM sleep.

23. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the selected one or more physiological parameters are the cardiac-related physiological parameter of the subject during the sleeping session and the respiration-related physiological parameter of the subject during the sleeping session, and

the computer processor is configured to;

identify the menstrual state of the subject in response to

(A) comparing over a plurality of sleeping sessions (i) the cardiac-related physiological parameter exhibited while the identified sleep stage is the particular sleep stage and the respiration-related physiological parameter exhibited while the identified sleep stage is the particular sleep stage to (ii) respective baseline values of the cardiac-related physiological parameter and the respiration-related physiological parameter,

and substantially not in response to

(B) physiological parameters exhibited while an identified sleep stage is not the particular sleep stage.