| abstract |
Devices for detecting hydration of cervical mucus (which is indicative of the course of a female's reproductive cycle) include a detector having a light source, a photoreceptor and a light guide positioned so as to guide light from the light source to the photoreceptor. The light guide includes at least one active surface to be wetted by the cervical mucus. The detector may be planar or curvelinear and may be embedded within a distal sensing head or extend upright therefrom (e.g., so as to somewhat penetrate the external cervical os during use). Most preferably, the light guide is fabricated from a fluorocarbon polymer. For use in vivo, the device will preferably include a proximal handle which allows the user to manipulate the distal sensing head into close proximity to the external cervical os. The handle may include a source of electrical power (e.g., a DC battery pack, solar cell or the like), a processor for processing the signal received from the photoreceptor indicative of the cervical mucus refractive index, and a human-readable display (e.g., an alpha-numeric display, light indicator, analog display or the like). A relatively slender (as compared to the handle) stem operatively connects the handle to the distal sensing head. The sensing head may be formed as a one-piece structure with the stem and angled relative thereto so as to assist in placement of the detector in close proximity to the external cervical os. Alternatively, the sensing head may be connected to the stem to allow for relative pivotal articulation to permit selective adjustment of the sensing head's angular orientation relative to the stem. The stem itself may be entirely rigid, or may be flexible (e.g., longitudinally flexible, but torsionally rigid). |