Homemade Pregnancy Tests
In 2008 we commemorated the 30th anniversary of the home pregnancy test, which millions of women rely upon to determine whether not they are pregnant. While these tests are reliable, inexpensive and convenient, you might wonder if there are any home methods that can determine pregnancy. What follows is a brief summary of the history of pregnancy tests, some information on homemade tests, and details on an ancient method that has been scientifically proven effective today.
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History
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People in ancient times did not have the luxury of purchasing a test from the drugstore that would confirm pregnancy in a few minutes. They either had to wait until they felt the baby "quicken" or move to verify pregnancy, or resort to home tests passed on by their cultural traditions. The earliest home pregnancy test on record was recorded on an Egyptian papyrus from 1350 B.C. and involved urinating on wheat or barley seeds.
Barley and Wheat
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Ancient Egyptian women who suspected pregnancy were advised to urinate on wheat or barley seeds and monitor the seed's growth for a period of time. According to lore, if it was a female child, the wheat would grow, and a male child would cause the barley to grow. Scientific tests of this theory in 1963 revealed that it was proven successful 70 percent of the time, probably due to estrogen in pregnant women's urine. Unfortunately for those hoping to find out if they are carrying a boy or girl, the wheat and barley grew equally well, making this invalid as a gender prediction test.
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Dandelion Leaves
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A modern homemade pregnancy test, currently making the rounds on Internet bulletin boards and chat rooms, involves women urinating on dandelion leaves. If red blisters appear on the leaves after an hour, you are pregnant. Leaves that remain the same indicate you are not pregnant. While some believe this is a "fail-safe" test, no evidence points to it's efficacy.
Misconceptions
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While "the rabbit died" became a common way to announce a pregnancy after being popularized by Lucille Ball on an episode of "I Love Lucy", injecting a rabbit with a pregnant woman's urine will not kill the rabbit. Researchers did inject female rabbits and other animals with pregnant women's urine throughout the 20th century in an effort to discern pregnancy. They theorized that a chemical in a pregnant women's urine, known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), would stimulate the rabbit's ovaries and cause her to go into heat. Unfortunately for the rabbit, the quickest way to see whether or not her ovaries were affected by the urine was to kill and dissect her. While this method did work, and led to the development of modern pregnancy tests, which also rely upon detection of hCG in a woman's urine, it is far too messy and inhumane to be relied upon as a valid homemade pregnancy test.
Warning
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While these tests might be a fun way to explore science and possibly confirm pregnancy, it is important that a pregnant woman accurately verify her pregnancy so that she can seek prenatal care as soon as possible. The quickest and most reliable way to do that is to purchase a home pregnancy test or have pregnancy confirmed via a blood or urine test at your doctor's office.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Mastruk; Wikimedia Commons
