Method and apparatus for quantifying the progression of a pregnancy

An apparatus for quantifying the progression of a pregnancy in a pregnant female mammal, comprising:

• an imaging device (CS) comprising:
• a light source (LS) for illuminating a uterine cervix (CX) with light (OR) having a wavelength comprised between 600 and 1100 nm,
• an image sensor (IS) for acquiring an image of the illuminated uterine cervix,
• an illumination optical path (OP1) from the light source and the uterine cervix,
• an imaging optical path (OP2) between the uterine cervix and the image sensor,
• the illumination optical path and the imaging optical path being separated from each other over at least one portion thereof,
• a controllable polarization state generator (PSG) arranged on a portion of the illumination optical path separated from the imaging optical path and a controllable polarization state analyser (PSA) arranged on a portion of the imaging optical path separated from the illumination optical path;
• and
• a computer (CP) configured for:
• controlling the polarisation state generator, the polarization state analyser and the image sensor in order to illuminate a uterine cervix with said light having one or more polarization states and, for each said polarization state, acquiring a plurality of images of the uterine cervix with the polarization state analyser in a respective analysing state;
• computing at least one depolarization parameter over a region of interest of the uterine cervix from the acquired images, and quantifying the progression of the pregnancy from said depolarization parameter.