title: Vaginal temperature sensing using UHF radio telemetry.
abstract: User-induced errors are common when women repetitively employ conventional probe type thermometers to chart their basal body temperatures in an effort to indicate ovulation. An alternative technique employing a two-part telemetric thermometer is proposed, with low-power, SAWR-controlled UHF radio as the transmission medium. Worn overnight in the vagina, the 1 microW erp telemetry transmitter sends pulse modulated data continuously to a microcontroller in a nearby receiver; a real time clock enables programmable sampling and storage of the subject's temperature to 0.1 degrees C resolution. Initial clinical results indicate an enhanced performance compared to oral and axillary temperature trends taken by a mercury-in-glass thermometer. Polar plots of both the isolated and body-worn telemetry transmitter are presented; body induced attenuations of up to 30 dB were measured.
authors.affiliation: Northern Ireland Bioengineering Centre, UK.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: McCreesh
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Scanlon
mesh_terms: D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D001831:Body Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010061:Ovulation Detection / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011846:Radio Waves; D012984:Software; D013686:Telemetry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013821:Thermometers; D014621:Vagina / Q000502:physiology*