Temperature based fertility monitoring system and related method

• US 8,834,389 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deborah Lawrence Schafer
• Original Assignee: Tepsync
• Inventors: Schafer, Deborah Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDENBURG, MAX F
• Application Number:
  US13/683,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20130137940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 600/551, 600/588, 600/591
• US Class Current: 600/551
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0012 Ovulation-period determination for animals A61D17/002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0019 based on measurement of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A fertility monitoring apparatus measures body temperature and saliva or cervical fluid resistivity. The clinical device includes a sensor, processor and transmitter to wirelessly deliver information to a computerized device such as a smart phone, tablet, or laptop for further analysis and display. The computerized device is programmed with software to receive, analyze, display, and/or transmit the raw or processed information. The programmed computerized device computes fertility information of the user. A central fertility platform includes a programmed computing device, and a database of fertility information from multiple users. Input from user accounts are fed into the platform and stored in the database. Exemplary inputs include the user'"'"'s age, cycle length, diagnosis of fertility, reproductive health information. The platform both provides feedback to the user and learns from the data collected to improve upon or self-modify calculations using machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data mining approaches.

Claims

1. A fertility monitoring system for monitoring fertility of a user, the system comprising:

a clinical device, the clinical device comprising;

a body comprising a tip adapted for comfortable insertion into the mouth of a patient;

a first sensor located in the body, said first sensor adapted to measure temperature;

a second sensor located in the body, the second sensor adapted to make a second measurement of the user;

a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to wirelessly send information from the clinical device; and

a processor disposed within the body and being operable to receive a temperature signal and a second measurement signal from the temperature sensor and the second sensor, respectively, and to calculate a temperature value and a second measurement value of the user based on said received temperature signal and second measurement signal, respectively, and

a computerized device adapted to wirelessly receive information from the clinical device and operable to determine a level of fertility based on at least said temperature value and said second measurement value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is an infrared sensor, and the clinical device further includes a spacer to create a distance between the second sensor and an inside location of the mouth.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server, and wherein the server is operable to accept a first data of the user, and wherein the server further comprises a database, and the database having the first data stored thereon.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the computing device is operable to communicate with the server and to determine the level of fertility based on at least the first data.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the computing device is operable to determine the level of fertility based on a combination of age and cycle length range data.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the server is operable to receive a plurality of first data from a plurality of users and to store said plurality of first data on said database, thereby creating a set of aggregated data of multiple users.

7. The system of claim 6 where the computerized device is operable to compute a time estimate for the onset of menopause corresponding to the user based on data from a plurality of users and the first data of the user.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the computerized device is operable to determine time zone, and adjust the temperature value based on the time zone.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the second sensor is an electrical resistivity sensor.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computing device is operable to identify changes in the temperature value over a time period, and to identify changes in the resistivity value over the time period.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the computing device is operable to determine a temperature value range and resistivity value range over the time period.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the computing device is operable to determine an ovulation time window based on temperature value range, and the resistivity value range.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the clinical device comprises an alarm.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one of following selected from the group consisting of a sound source, a light source, and a haptic technology.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said clinical device is operable to provide at least one reward output indicative of the user'"'"'s status, rate of completion of measurements, and the accuracy of her fertility predictions.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the computerized device is operable to determine whether to request an ancillary input from the user.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the ancillary input is a measurement selected from the group of a skin temperature, vaginal temperature, cervical fluid electrical resistivity, and hormone.

18. A fertility monitoring system for monitoring fertility of a user, the system comprising:

a clinical device, the clinical device comprising;

a body adapted to enter a natural orifice of a patient;

a first sensor located in the body, said first sensor adapted to measure temperature;

a second sensor located in the body, the second sensor adapted to make a second measurement of the user;

a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to wirelessly send information from the clinical device; and

a processor disposed within the body and being operable to receive a temperature signal and a second measurement signal from the temperature sensor and the second sensor respectively and to calculate a temperature value and a second measurement value of the user based on said received temperature signal and second measurement signal respectively; and

a computerized device adapted to wirelessly receive information from the clinical device and operable to determine a level of fertility based on at least said temperature value and said second measurement value, wherein the computerized device is operable to calculate at least one of an follicular phase length and a luteal phase length based on age.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein at least one of the clinical device and the computerized device is operable to predict a subsequent fertile window based on at least one of the follicular and luteal phase lengths wherein said at least one of the clinical and the computerized device is further operable to perform the following:

a) determine a predictive interval of the phase lengths;

b) compute the user'"'"'s subsequent phase length;

c) determine a level of confidence corresponding to that predictive interval; and

d) update subsequent prediction interval and said level of confidence based on actual phase length data.

20. A fertility monitoring method comprising:

inserting a clinical device into the mouth of a user, wherein the clinical device has a probe tip construction for comfortable insertion into the mouth of the user;

receiving first temperature data from a temperature sensor on the clinical device inserted into an orifice of a user;

receiving first electrical resistivity data of the user from a resistivity sensor on the clinical device;

receiving at least one patient data input from the user;

sending the first temperature data and the first resistivity data to a processor;

determining whether to request an ancillary input from the user; and

computing automatically on the processor a level of fertility based on the first temperature data, the first electrical resistivity data, the ancillary input if requested and received, and the at least one user input.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the sending step comprises wirelessly transmitting the first temperature data and the first electrical resistivity data to a portable computing device.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the processor is in a portable computing device, said computing device being external to the clinical device.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising displaying the level of fertility.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising alerting the user based on the level of fertility.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one patient input comprises one input selected from the group consisting of age, weight, date of last period, and length of menstrual cycles.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the ancillary input is a measurement selected from the group of a skin temperature, vaginal temperature, cervical fluid electrical resistivity, and hormone.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising calculating at least one of an follicular phase length and a luteal phase length based on age.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising predicting a subsequent fertile window based on at least one of the follicular phase length and the luteal phase length.

29. The method of claim 20 further comprising providing at least one reward output selected from the group consisting of a sound source, a light, source and a haptic technology indicative of at least one of the user'"'"'s status, rate of completion of measurements, and the accuracy of her fertility predictions.

30. The method of claim 20 further comprising detecting a time zone and adjusting the fertility computation based on the time zone.

31. The method of claim 20 wherein the data input is received by a server, and the server is in communication with the portable computing device.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising requesting the ancillary input from the user by displaying said request on said portable computing device subsequent to receiving the first temperature data and the first resistivity data.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein the computing device is a device selected from the group consisting of a smart phone, PDA, tablet, watch, and laptop.

34. A method of claim 32 wherein the server is operable to search the data for patterns.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the server is further operable to make predictions about fertility based on the patterns.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the predictions about fertility comprises a time estimate for the onset of menopause.