Recording the Physiology of the Nonpregnant Uterus

The long term objective is to develop a multichannel, diagnostic instrumentation system for recording the physiology of the non-pregnant human uterus. The current prototype can simultaneously record combinations of six physiologic parameters: electrical activity at the cervix, electrical activity inside the uterus, pressure changes inside the uterus, mean flow velocity in a uterine artery, subject report of pain/cramps intensity, and pulse delay by EKG. Patented innovations are a non-invasive, cervical electrode cup for recording cervix/corpus electrical activity and a non-invasive, vaginal Doppler probe for continuous recording of uterine artery flow velocity. Specific aims are to record a series of normals and patients with chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and endometriosis, to determine the feasibility of also recording the fetal EKG, and to improve the crystal rotation mechanism in the Doppler probe. This system has multiple potential applications as a research tool for studies of human reproduction and as a diagnostic instrument for clinical gynecology. The pool of patients who might benefit is extensive: chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and endometriosis alone afflicts nearly 50% of the 45 million of reproductive age in the U. S.