1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a weighing scale for determining a most appropriate weight of a pregnant woman in terms of her physical features or body mass index (hereinafter abbreviated as xe2x80x9cBMIxe2x80x9d), the most appropriate weight varying with time, and being determined for each number of antenatal weeks which have passed since conception.
2. Prior Art
Pregnant women""s weights have been hitherto monitored by comparing their antenatal weights with progestational ones prior to conception to determine the increment of weight, thereby making a decision as to whether their weights have been increasing in normal condition or not by referring to weight control tables or other data.
The increment of the weight of a pregnant woman, however, is dependent on the height and progestational weight of the pregnant woman, that is, the BMI of the pregnant woman, and therefore, the weight monitoring cannot be effected appropriately for the purpose so far as the monitoring relies simply on the number of the antenatal weeks since conception and the increment of antenatal weight relative to the progestational weight. As a matter of fact, however, nobody knows how a most appropriate antenatal weight can be determined from the BMI of an individual pregnant woman and the number of the antenatal weeks since conception.
In view of the above one object of the present invention is to provide a weighing scale for determining a most appropriate antenatal weight of a pregnant woman for each number of the weeks since conception on the basis of the xe2x80x9cantenatal weight-to-weekxe2x80x9d relationship identified in terms of the BMI of the pregnant woman, which index is determined from the height and progestational weight of the pregnant woman, and for making a comparison between the so determined most appropriate antenatal weight and the weight of the pregnant woman measured each week.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a weighing scale for pregnancy monitoring which is capable of displaying the comparison between the most appropriate antenatal weight and the present weight of the pregnant woman.
To attain these objects a weighing scale for determining the weight of a pregnant woman according to the present invention comprises: a height inputting unit which permits the inputting of the height of the pregnant woman; a weight inputting unit which permits the inputting of her weight prior to conception; a week-number inputting unit which permits the inputting of how many weeks have passed since conception; a memory unit which stores antenatal weight data in terms of the index of physical features; an arithmetic unit which determines a most appropriate weight from the data inputted by said height, weight and week-number inputting units and the data retrieved from said memory unit; and a display unit which displays the result of calculation as the most appropriate antenatal weight.
Said week-number inputting unit may permit the inputting of the expectant birth date in place of the number of weeks since conception.
Said week-number inputting unit may permit the inputting of the umber of weeks since conception.
Said memory unit may store most appropriate weights plotted for different indexes of physical features, which weights vary with each number of weeks since conception.
A weighing scale for determining the weight of a pregnant woman according to the present invention comprises: a height inputting unit which permits the inputting of the height of the pregnant woman; a weight inputting unit which permits the inputting of her weight prior to conception; a week-number inputting unit which permits the inputting of how many weeks have passed since conception; a memory unit which stores weight data in terms of the index of physical features; a weighing device which determines her weight; an arithmetic unit which determines a most appropriate antenatal weight from the data inputted by said height, weight and week-number inputting units and the data retrieved from said memory unit, and which compares the so determined most appropriate antenatal weight with the present weight of the pregnant woman; and a display unit which displays the result of calculation.
Said week-number inputting unit may permit the inputting of the expectant birth date in place of the number of weeks since conception.
Said week-number inputting unit may permit the inputting of the number of weeks since conception.
Said arithmetic unit may allow said display unit to display a warning in response to the antenatal weight increasing a predetermined amount over the most appropriate antenatal weight.
Said memory unit may store most appropriate antenatal weights for different indexes of physical features, which weights vary with the number of weeks since conception.
Said arithmetic unit may allow said display unit to display a warning, provided that the antenatal weight has increased a predetermined amount in a predetermined length of time.