MenstruLoss

Abstract

Self-monitoring of menstrual blood loss volume could lead to early detection of multiple gynecological diseases. In this paper, we describe the development of a textile-based blood volume sensor which can be integrated into the sanitary napkin to quantify the menstrual blood loss during menstruation. It is based on sensing the resistance change detected as the output voltage change, with the added volume of fluid. Benchtop characterization tests with 5 mL of fluid determined the effect of spacing, orientation and weight, and location of fluid drop on the sensor. The sensor has been evaluated by intravenous blood samples collected from 18 participants and menstrual blood samples collected from 10 participants for four months. The collected intravenous blood samples and menstrual blood samples were used to create two regression model that can predict the blood volume and menstrual blood volume from the voltage input with Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 11-15% and 15-30% respectively.

A Wearable In-pad Diagnostic for the Detection of Disease Biomarkers in Menstruation Blood

“…19 These properties render menstrual blood particularly well-suited for point-of-care testing, circumventing the need for the preprocessing steps often necessary in the analysis of venous blood. Recent studies have explored the utilization of menstrual blood for health monitoring purposes, focusing on aspects such as volume control of blood loss 20 and pH levels. 21 However, these investigations have not leveraged menstrual blood for gaining valuable insights into the physiological state of an individual.…”