Homemade Pregnancy Test

The tests that are performed at home with the things readily available at home in order to know whether you are pregnant or not are known as ‘Homemade pregnancy tests’.

These methods of testing for pregnancy already exist since olden days as there were no pregnancy testing kits available in the market then and also as there was no easy and fast access to the doctors. As you all know, Necessity is the mother of invention, their necessity to know about the pregnancy leads to the invention of many homemade pregnancy testing techniques with the ingredients that are easily available at home.

Different types of Homemade pregnancy tests

These homemade pregnancy tests are performed if you know that you have missed your periods and also when you are experiencing the symptoms of pregnancy like morning sickness, nausea, fatigue, frequent urination. The homemade pregnancy tests are performed at home when you are curious to know about your pregnancy before going to the doctor.

For these tests to be performed you need to collect the urine sample early in the morning as soon as you drink tummy full of water. The urine consistency will be thick. If you are pregnant your body will produce a hormone called ‘hCG’(Human chorionic Gonadotropin) hormone in the urine. When this urine sample is taken and mixed with ingredients of homemade pregnancy testing techniques they will show you positive or negative results depending on your pregnancy status. These tests can be performed as they are harmless and cost-friendly.

There are many homemade pregnancy tests

1. Sugar pregnancy test

How to perform: Take one spoon of sugar in a container and add the same quantity of urine to it and mix well and leave the mixture for a while.

Result: If the sugar in the container forms clumps then the result is positive, you are pregnant. If the sugar starts dissolving then the result is negative, you are not pregnant. The hCG hormone produced during pregnancy in the urine is responsible for the result to be positive.

2. Salt pregnancy test

How to perform: Take urine collected in a container as soon as you wake up in the morning and add one or two pinches of salt to it. Leave the salt solution mixture for some time.

Result:  After some time the hCG in the urine reacts with the salt and  white creamy clumps are being formed. This positive result indicates that you are pregnant. If there is no reaction then the result is negative that means you are not pregnant.

3. Bleach Pregnancy test

How to perform: Take Bleaching powder in a bowl and add urine to it. Wait for reaction to occur.

Result: As soon as you add urine to the bleaching powder the bubbles appears making some fizzing sound with white frothy layer on it. This gives you a positive result indicating that you are pregnant. If no reaction occurs then you are not pregnant.

4. Toothpaste pregnancy test

How to perform: Take two spoons of toothpaste in a bowl and add urine sample to the paste. Wait for the result.

Result: If the toothpaste in the bowl turns into a blue colour and frothy then the result is positive and you are pregnant. If it doesn’t react with urine and no change in colour is observed then you are not pregnant, the is negative.

5. Vinegar pregnancy test

How to perform: Take vinegar in a bowl and add urine sample to it. Wait for some time for the reaction to occur.

Result: After some time if you are pregnant, there is a change in colour of vinegar in the bowl indicating test is positive. If there is no change in colour then the result is negative and you are not pregnant.

6. Soap pregnancy test

How to perform: Take a bar of soap and hold it in your hands and pour the urine sample which you have collected on the soap.

Result: If the test is positive the bubbles are formed on the soap and it indicates that you are pregnant. If nothing happens on soap then the result is negative and you are not pregnant.

7. Baking soda pregnancy test

How to perform: Take two spoons of baking soda in a bowl and add the urine sample into the bowl.

Result: If the bubbles are formed in the bowl then the result is positive and you are pregnant. If no reaction is seen then the result is negative and you are not pregnant.

8. Dandelion leaf pregnancy test

How to perform: Take urine sample in a bowl and immerse a few dandelion leaves in that bowl and wait for few minutes to observe the result.

Result: The red blisters are formed on the leaf if you are pregnant showing a positive result. If you are not pregnant no change can be seen and the result is negative.

9. Mustard powder pregnancy test

How to perform: Take a half or a three-fourth cup of mustard powder and add the powder to the warm water in a bathtub. Soak yourself in that tub containing water for twenty minutes.

Result: If you have periods within two to three days then the test is negative and you are not pregnant. If your period doesn’t rush within two to days then the result is positive and you are pregnant.

10. Wheat and barley pregnancy test

How to perform: Take wheat and barley seeds in a bowl and soak these seeds in the urine sample for two days and wait for the result.   

Result: If the seeds starts to germinate within two days, the result is positive and you are pregnant. If no germination is found then the result is negative and you are not pregnant.

11. Pine-sol pregnancy test

How to perform: Pine-sol is an antimicrobial agent. It is golden brown in colour, made from leaves and other parts of the pine tree. Take pine-sol in a bowl and add urine sample into that bowl. Wait for the change in reaction to happen.

Result: The colour of pine-sol mixture changes to bluish-green colour showing the positive result which means you are pregnant. If there is no change in colour then the result is negative and you are not pregnant.

12. Wine pregnancy test

How to perform: Take a half cup of wine in a bowl and add equal amount of urine sample to it and mix well. Leave the mixture for 10 minutes.

Result: If you are pregnant then there will be a change in colour in the bowl and the result is positive which means you are pregnant. If you are not pregnant there will be no change in colour and the result is negative.

13. Shampoo pregnancy test

How to perform: Take a bowl with water and add two drops of shampoo and mix well to form a solution and now gently add urine sample into the bowl.

Result: If you are pregnant then bubbles appear in the bowl as a froth giving you a positive result. If no change is observed then the result is negative and you are not pregnant.

14. Tuna juice and vinegar pregnancy test

How to perform: Take a bowl and equal amounts of tuna juice and white vinegar and mix it well and leave the mixture for a day. Add the urine sample the other day.

Result: If the mixture turns into a green colour then you are pregnant indicating a positive result. If the mixture turns into a yellow colour then the result is negative and you are not pregnant.

15. Storing urine pregnancy test

How to perform: Take urine sample collected and store it at room temperature for 24 hours.

Result: If you are pregnant then thin film or layer is formed on the surface of the urine sample. If you are not pregnant no change is observed and the result is negative.

Accuracy of Homemade pregnancy tests

Homemade pregnancy tests are not 100 per cent accurate. These are to be taken when you have missed your periods and anxious to know about your pregnancy. These DIY tests are to be taken only for fun. You cannot just rely only on these tests and confirm your pregnancy because there is no scientific evidence that these pregnancy tests are accurate.

These homemade pregnancy tests are based only on anecdotal evidence. These tests are done at home with the ingredients available at home. There is no particular ratio or quantity of the ingredients mentioned to perform these tests.

You should definitely consult your doctor after testing at home. These tests need to be done after a week of missing your periods and having the symptoms of pregnancy. 

Infographic on Homemade Pregnancy Test