초록 ▼

The onset of ovulation in a female is detected by measuring the water content of the cervical mucus. A pellet made of a water-swellable polymer is inserted into the vagina. The increase in the size of the pellet, that occurs owing to contact with the vaginal mucus for a selected period of time, is m

The onset of ovulation in a female is detected by measuring the water content of the cervical mucus. A pellet made of a water-swellable polymer is inserted into the vagina. The increase in the size of the pellet, that occurs owing to contact with the vaginal mucus for a selected period of time, is measured. The size of the pellet sharply increases at or about the onset of ovulation.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of detecting the onset of ovulation in a female, which comprises the steps of: once each day, for several days during the menstrual cycle including the days immediately prior to ovulation, inserting into the vagina of said female a pellet made of a physiologically harmless water-swellable,

A method of detecting the onset of ovulation in a female, which comprises the steps of: once each day, for several days during the menstrual cycle including the days immediately prior to ovulation, inserting into the vagina of said female a pellet made of a physiologically harmless water-swellable, hydrophilic polymer and maintaining said pellet in the vagina for a period of time effective to cause said pellet to swell to a size indicative of the water content and volume of the vaginal mucus; then withdrawing said pellet and measuring the increase of the size of said pellet that occurred while it was present in the vagina, the pellets used the respective days being identical in starting size so that the respective pellets swell to a size indicative of the water content and volume of the cervical mucus for the respective days, whereby the onset of ovulation is indicated when the amount of size increase of one of said pellets exceeds a predetermined minimum size increase or it reaches a peak high value in comparison with the size increase of the pellets used earlier or later in the menstrual cycle.