DIY Pregnancy Tests Explored...

Suspecting that you could be pregnant? Not for a pregnancy test to hand? Can’t get seen by your doctor today?

You may have heard of ‘DIY’ pregnancy tests… They’re nonsense old wives tales with no scientific evidence to support them, and I treat them with a healthy dose of scepticism, but they can be fun to try, right?

Please note that any home tests involving the use of cleaning chemicals are not advised at all, as the fumes created could be harmful for you and baby, therefore I haven’t included them in this article.

The Sugar Test

You may read on random, unreliable websites that this is an old and ‘reliable’ holistic test; this isn’t true. It is based on the notion that HCG will stop sugar dissolving if you wee on 3 tablespoons of sugar and wait for 5 minutes.

If you’re not pregnant, the sugar will apparently dissolve. However, the concentration and PH of your urine is responsible for how the sugar reacts, and there are many factors that can influence this.

The Dandelion Test

Another kooky method is to pick dandelion leaves that haven’t been exposed to sunlight, place them in a cup, urinate over the leaves ensuring they’re fully covered, and wait for 10 minutes. Red blisters appearing on the leaves is said to signify pregnancy.

Tuna Juice & Vinegar Test

Yuck…

Half a cup of vinegar, half a cup of tuna juice (what even IS tuna juice? I assume it’s the brine from canned tuna?), mix together, add your first morning urine, and wait 7 minutes.

Green supposedly means pregnant. Or, in my case, from the chunder because this method must be so smelly!

The Toothpaste Test

With this test, you need to mix your toothpaste with a small amount of your urine. It’s believed by some that if you’re pregnant, the toothpaste will change colour, and/or turn frothy. If the toothpaste stays the same, you’re not pregnant.

However, toothpaste contains calcium carbonate; the PH of your urine will dictate whether your toothpaste reacts or not. The reaction will be stronger the more acidic the urine is. This method has been debunked by the pharmacists at Oxford Online Pharmacy, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

The Vinegar Test

This involves pouring half a cup of vinegar into a bowl, and then adding your first morning urine. A colour change is meant to signify pregnancy but like previously, this is a normal chemical reaction linked to PH, and not necessarily pregnancy.

The Mustard Powder Test

All of these methods are eccentric but for me, this one takes the biscuit!

This involves filling your bath with hot water (no temperature stated), mix one bowl of mustard powder into the water using a hand (I’d use a spoon…), and bathe for 45 minutes. Make sure you have a nice smelling shower gel ready for a shower after as you’ll pong.

Wait for it… if your period hasn’t started 2 days after, you’re pregnant! But this would be true with or without the mustard powder test! *Facepalm*

Mustard powder where it SHOULD be used… to make delicious mustard for bostin’ hot dogs!

The Jar Test

Yay, a method that doesn’t involve adding food to urine!

With this method, if you urinate into a jar and leave for 24 hours on a flat surface, if the urine develops a ‘layer’ on top it is said to signify a pregnancy.

However, factors not attributed to pregnancy can cause protein to build up in the urine and cause a layer to develop.

The Latch Test

This is an odd one. Nowhere does it describe what sort of ‘latch’, so I’m assuming one made of metal? Don’t tell the folk down at the hardware store what it’s for, haha! Urinating on the latch and leaving it in a container for a few hours, and then removing the latch is another wild old wives tale…

If the latch has left residue/an impression on the bottom of the container, this is meant to signify pregnancy. I’d hazard a guess at this being the PH of your urine slightly dissolving the latch coating, though.

The Soap Test

Slicing a piece off a bar of soap (any soap) and urinating on it is one method that some ladies swear by. Bubbles and froth supposedly means that you’re pregnant – however, this reaction is linked to the PH of your urine, regardless of pregnancy.