Hot Flash Ambulatory Monitor

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hot flashes range from very annoying distraction to debilitating condition for the 75% or more post- menopausal women that experience them. Although many treatment options have been proposed, most of these treatments have significant risks or little to no scientific proof of effectiveness. Skin conductance has been identified as the single best objective detection of hot flashes. The proposed work will produce an improved clinical tool for detection and recording of hot flashes. This new device will be smaller and more versatile than the existing technology and most importantly virtually invisible to a bystander when being worn. The proposed device will detect and record hot-flash occurrences using skin conductance and also record user perceived hot flashes through a user activated button. Additional sensors that will work in conjunction with skin conductance measurement will further improve the reliability of hot flash measurement. This program will test each of these additional sensors for their efficacy and cost effectiveness in improving sensitivity or positive predictivity of hot flash detection, or the addition of detecting relative hot flash intensity and duration. At the end of this program, a new tool will be available to researchers for objectively validating hot flash treatment options.