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Are you suspecting you’re pregnant and want to try the DIY pregnancy tests? Whether or not you are trying to conceive, the uncertainty of whether you’re pregnant can be unnerving. If you do not have a store-bought pregnancy kit yet or are just curious, here are some DIY pregnancy tests you can do at home to finally put your mind at rest.
There are a few things in your bathroom or pantry to settle the pregnancy dilemma. DIY pregnancy tests have been used for centuries by our mothers and grandmothers, even before women started peeing on a stick. Some may be recent due to the ingredients’ unavailability in those times, but they have one agenda – to confirm the presence or absence of a baby in your womb. This article shares 10 DIY pregnancy tests that you can do at home. Let’s dive in.
What Does a Blank Pregnancy Test Mean?
If you have previously taken a pregnancy test on a store-bought kit and it came back blank, it means that the test kit is faulty or expired. You will need to discard it and get a new testing kit. Check the expiry dates on the kit itself as opposed to checking the box. Sometimes, expired tests may be erroneously put in a new packet, leading to inconclusive or blank tests.
What Is Pregnancy Test?
When pregnant, the placenta produces the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG).’ Pregnancy tests work by detecting this hormone. The hormone is only produced in pregnancy; therefore, its presence indicates a positive outcome. You can take a urine or blood test to check for pregnancy.
While these DIY tests are fun and easy to take, they are not 100 percent accurate. You will still need to take a test at a health facility or use an over-the-counter testing kit to take a proper test for the final results. This helps you to confirm the pregnancy conclusively.
Get fast, discreet, and affordable pregnancy lab testing from Health Labs.
How Does a Positive Pregnancy Test Look Like?
Most store-bought tests make use of symbols to confirm or negate a pregnancy. For some, positive results will be indicated by two lines on the test kit, a positive (or plus) symbol, a smile, or even the words’ positive’.
Here is an example of a store bought pregnancy test on Amazon.
3 Early Signs That Alert You to Take a Pregnancy Test
The most obvious sign of pregnancy is a missed period. However, pregnancy signs can appear up to one week before you have missed your period. If you’re wondering when to take a test, you can take the test as soon as you notice any of the following signs.
1. Tender Breasts
Are your breasts tender and painful, and you’re not on your period or ovulating? You may be pregnant. Most women complain of breast tenderness as their first sign of pregnancy. If this is what you’re feeling, you’re a prime candidate for a pregnancy test.
2. Nausea
Nausea and vomiting are common early signs of pregnancy. If you’re suddenly queasy out of the blues and you don’t seem to keep anything down, it’s time for a pregnancy test.
3. Change in Tastes and Smells
Your favorite perfume suddenly smells like it was infused with garlic, and your favorite meals taste like a sponge. Whether you have been expecting it or not, you may be in the family way. It’s time to take a DIY pregnancy test if you haven’t had the chance to rush to the store.
Related Article: 15 Best Foods for Pregnancy
When Is the Best Time to Take a Pregnancy Test?
To avoid getting false negatives, don’t take the test too early. The best time for a test is at least a week after you have missed your period. If you get your period, but you suspect it’s implantation blood, wait a few more days and then take the test. If it’s negative, wait five more days and take another test.
HCG is highly concentrated in the morning. To get the most accurate urine test for pregnancy, take it using the morning pee. You can divide up the urine for different tests. However, the urine has to be discarded after ten minutes.
Related article: How to Get Pregnant Fast
How Long Will the Test Take to Work?
DIY pregnancy tests vary in the time they take to give results depending on your ingredients. Some show results in a couple of minutes, while others take up to 10 minutes or even two days to give a conclusive result.
The test you decide to employ will depend on the availability of the ingredients and the amount of time you have. The tests are more or less the same, with most giving results by a change of color or frothing.
10 Homemade DIY Pregnancy Tests
Various items in your bathroom and pantry can reveal whether or not you’re pregnant. Here are some DIY pregnancy tests that you can take in the comfort of your home. With a myriad of items to use for testing for a pregnancy at home, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
1. Baking Soda Test DIY Pregnancy Tests
Baking soda’s uses extend beyond the oven in your kitchen; it can also be used to detect if you’re baking another bun in the oven in your body. This best is also used to check if you’re having a boy or a girl.
How to do it
Pour a teaspoon of baking soda into a sterilized container. Collect the urine in a separate clean container and pour a few drops onto the baking powder. If the baking powder reacts by fizzling and bubbling, you’re pregnant – and you’re most likely carrying a little boy. If nothing happens, you have dodged the bullet one more time.
2. Sugar Test DIY Pregnancy Tests
Sugar is suitable for your coffee and reveals the presence of a baby growing in your belly.
How to do it
Pour some sugar into a clean container. Collect the urine in a sterilized container and pour a few drops onto the sugar. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve immediately, it clumps up, congratulations! You’re pregnant.
If the sugar dissolves in the urine easily and forms no clods, you’re not pregnant; try again.
3. Toothpaste Test DIY Pregnancy Tests
Find answers to how to test for pregnancy at home with the toothpaste DIY pregnancy test. For best results, use a toothpaste with only one color, preferably white.
How to do it
Put two tablespoons of toothpaste in a bowl. Collect the urine in a clean bowl and pour it into the toothpaste. If the toothpaste froths and changes color to blue, the pregnancy test is positive. If the toothpaste maintains its color and no foam appears, the test is negative.
4. Dandelion leaves DIY Pregnancy Test
Dandelion leaves are excellent as an anti-diuretic and can be used to treat edema and fluid retention. Beyond that, dandelions are also perfect for determining the presence of a pregnancy.
How to do it
Place a few dandelion leaves in a container in a cool and dry place, away from direct sunlight. Collect the first-morning urine sample, pour it on the leaves; leave it for 10 minutes. If the dandelion leaves turn reddish-brown and if they form bubbles, it’s time to go shopping for diapers.
If the leaves do not change in color after ten minutes, then you’re not pregnant – the pregnancy test is negative.
5. Salt DIY Pregnancy Tests
Salt is the most common seasoning in any kitchen, and its uses in and out of the kitchen are legendary. One other benefit of salt that you may not have known is a DIY pregnancy test.
How to do it
To take this test, pour a teaspoon of salt onto a sterilized container. Collect the urine and pour it over the salt in a separate sterilized container. Give it a few minutes, up to five, and observe the changes that happen to the salt.
A positive test will be indicated by cream-white lumps on the salt. If the salt dissolves in the urine without forming any clumps, it is indicative of a negative test.
6. Stored Urine DIY Pregnancy Tests
You can take a test using plain urine stored in a jar or a container to test for pregnancy. This one requires patience as it takes longer to get the results.
How to Do It
Collect the morning urine in a jar or a container and set it aside. Let it sit for 24 hours and then observe. If the urine has a thin layer, you’re growing a little human. If it’s still clear with no visible layer, the test is negative.
7. Bleach DIY Pregnancy Tests
The bleach DIY pregnancy test works like the others – the hCG in the urine will react with the bleach to give you a positive result. For this test, use bleach powder instead of liquid bleach.
This test must be done in a well-aerated room. Ensure all the windows are open if you’re in a closed room. Bleach produces fumes that may harm you in a poorly ventilated environment.
Related Article: Pregnancy Symptoms You Should not Ignore
How to Do It
Put the bleach in a sterilized container and keep it aside. In a separate container, collect the morning urine and pour it into the bleach container. If the bleach starts to foam or fizz, start shopping for onesies – you’re pregnant! If there’s no reaction, you can rest easy; it’s not yet time to turn the spare room into a nursery.
8. Vinegar DIY Pregnancy Tests
You need to use clear vinegar for this test. Other types of vinegar, such as apple cider or red vinegar, will not cut it since they are already colored. This test relies on the change of color to gauge the results.
How to Do It
Pour some white vinegar into a clean container. Collect the morning pee in a separate sterilized container and mix it with the vinegar. The vinegar may bubble as you mix, but you should let it sit for a couple of minutes and observe the color change.
Related Article: 8 Reasons Why You Should Take Folic Acid in Pregnancy
9. Wine DIY Pregnancy Test
A bottle of wine is perfect for an evening of relaxation. It’s also used to check if your strange feelings result from a little human growing in you.
How to Do It
Take a bottle of wine and pour it into a clean class up to the halfway mark. Collect the morning urine and pour it into the wine.
Observe the mixture for a color change. If it changes, you’ll not be having any more wine soon; you’re pregnant. If there’s no change in color, you may as well pour the remaining wine in the bottle into a glass; the pregnancy test is negative.
Related Article: Best Pregnancy Stretch Mark Creams
10. Wheat and Barley DIY Pregnancy Test
This is one of the DIY pregnancy tests that take the most time. You’ll need to be patient to take it.
How to Do It
Take some wheat and barley seeds and pour them into a bowl. Urinate in a separate bowl and pour the urine in the bowl containing the seeds. Leave them for at least two days. It would take wheat or barley seeds at least three days to germinate in their typical environment. If the seeds germinate in a short while, you’re pregnant.
FAQs
- How can I check if I’m pregnant without a pregnancy test at home?
There are several homemade pregnancy tests that you can do at home such as toothpaste, sugar, vinegar, or salt tests. However, to get an accurate test consider using a store-bought kit or go to the hospital.
- How can I make a homemade pregnancy test at home?
You can make a homemade pregnancy test at home using vinegar, wine, bleach, salt, or sugar. You will know if you are pregnant depending on the reaction when you mix them with urine.
- How can I check my pregnancy naturally at home?
You can use the sugar test to check pregnancy naturally at home. Mix sugar with your urine in a bowl. If the sugar easily dissolves you are not pregnant but if it forms lumps then you may be pregnant.
- Does salt and urine pregnancy test work?
The salt and urine pregnancy test is a natural way to test pregnancy at home. However, it is not backed by scientific research so you need to confirm with a pregnancy kit or in the hospital.
Does the sugar pregnancy test work?
The sugar pregnancy test does work because if you are pregnant it doesn’t dissolve easily. However, it is not backed by doctors or research so you need to confirm pregnancy with a test kit.
Conclusion
You may choose to confirm your pregnancy test results at the hospital after taking your DIY pregnancy test at home. If you have been trying to conceive, start taking your supplements whether the tests come back positive or not.
If the tests are positive, take folic acid supplements immediately and talk to your doctor about possible further tests.
These DIY pregnancy tests are deemed safe for any person to take. However, take caution with the ones that are indicated, such as the bleach test. These homemade tests will come in handy if you have been seeking a way to test for pregnancy without the risk of someone stumbling on your test kit later. Which one have you tried before? Let us know in the comments below.
If you need to confirm, try these store-bought pregnancy tests on Amazon.
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