Top 10 DIY Homemade Pregnancy Tests To Check At Home 2024

Motherhood is a journey that begins with a positive pregnancy test result. When you are trying to conceive or are worried that you might have conceived, a pregnancy test is a way to know with certainty. 

If you have missed your period and there are chances of conception, taking a pregnancy test is only wise as it will end anxiety and help you to decide the next step. There are pregnancy test kits available at the medical shops that you can use to find out if you are pregnant but homemade pregnancy tests have their own benefits. 

Want to know how to test pregnancy at home naturally? How to take natural pregnancy tests and how to make them more effective? This article brings to you a complete guide on homemade pregnancy tests and more.   

If you are pregnant, there will be certain levels of HCG in your urine which is otherwise not present. Most home pregnancy tests without a kit work on the principle that urine with HCG reacts differently with household ingredients than normal urine. However, there is no scientific proof or study to back this claim.  

Top 10 Simple And Natural Test To Check Pregnancy At Home 

If you have missed your period and start feeling nauseous or there are other early pregnancy symptoms, you can quickly check if you are pregnant with a homemade test without having to go to the shop to get a test kit. Keep in mind that these tests should be done with a fun approach and need to be validated with a pregnancy test kit or blood test for accurate results.  

Salt Pregnancy Test 

To take the salt pregnancy test you will need normal table salt. Make sure that the salt is fresh and has not formed clumps in the container. Apart from the salt, you will need a clean container. It is best to use a transparent glass bowl to get a clear result. 

The third and most important ingredient for the test is the urine sample. Collect the sample from the first urine in the morning, which contains the highest levels of HCG, if there is pregnancy.  

How To Take The Test 

• Pour the salt into the bowl 
• Add urine sample in equal amount 
• Observe 

Reading The Result 

If there is HCG in the urine which means if you are pregnant, the salt will form clumps as it comes in touch with the urine. If the salt is dissolved in the urine and you are left with a clear solution, it is a negative sign.   

Sugar Pregnancy Test 

It is a popular homemade pregnancy test. The sugar test is similar to the salt pregnancy test and needs the three ingredients – sugar that has not absorbed moisture, a transparent glass container, and the morning urine sample.

How To Take The Test 

• Take one spoon of sugar in the bowl 
• Add urine sample 
• Observe 

Reading The Result 

Sugar readily dissolves in normal urine but if you are pregnant, instead, it will form clumps. In case of a positive pregnancy, if you check the bowl after five to seven minutes you will see that sugar crystals are still prominently visible in the bowl.   

Soap Pregnancy Test 

A simple and popular DIY homemade pregnancy test that you can easily take after missing a period if you have some positive signs. For this test, you will need a bathing soap (not a liquid bath gel), a clean container, and the urine sample collected in the morning. 

How To Take The Test 

• Place the soap bar in the container 
• Add the urine 
• Wait and watch  

Reading The Result 

Normal urine will not react with the soap and you will not see any reaction or froth coming up but if bubbles and froth are formed on the soap, it is a positive sign. You are expected to see the changes within a few minutes but this age-old homemade pregnancy test does not come with specific instructions about how long you should wait to read the result. 

Toothpaste Pregnancy Test 

This test is a comparatively new addition as toothpaste was not available during the days when getting pregnancy confirmation was a long and uncertain process. You will need white toothpaste to take the test. A colored or gel toothpaste will not work because they come with other chemicals that might react differently with the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin present in the urine sample.  

How To Take The Test 

• Take two spoons of toothpaste in a clean container 
• Add the urine sample 
• Wait and watch 

Reading The Result 

If the white toothpaste turns bluish and becomes frothy, it is a positive sign. If you are not pregnant, there will be no reaction and the toothpaste will stay white without any froth formation. There is no exact information regarding how long you should wait to see the changes. 

Mustard Powder Pregnancy Test    

This home pregnancy test works in a different way than the others mentioned above. Here, you do not need to collect the first urine in the morning and wait with your eyes peeled to see a positive result. It is not a urine-based test to confirm pregnancy. For this test,  you will need half a cup of pure mustard powder and a bathtub with warm bathing water. 

How To Take The Test 

• Fill the bathtub with warm water 
• Add the mustard powder to it
• Soak in the tub for at least twenty minutes 
• Get out of the tub and get dry
• Wait for 2-3 days for your period 

Reading The Result 

Mustard powder is a common home remedy for delayed periods. It generates heat in the body and helps to keep your cycle regular. If you are not pregnant and your period is delayed because of any other reason, you are expected to get your period within 2-3 days of soaking in mustard powder water. If you do not get your period even after 2-3 days, it is a positive sign for pregnancy.     

Vinegar Pregnancy Test 

You can take the vinegar pregnancy test if you are suspecting pregnancy. For this test, you will need the normal white vinegar available in the market. This test is not applicable to apple cider vinegar or colored vinegar. Apart from vinegar, you will also need a clean bowl and a properly collected urine sample.

How To Take The Test 

• Add the vinegar to the empty container
• Add the first urine of the morning to it 
• Wait and see

Reading The Result 

The color of the white vinegar will alter if there is HCG in the urine. If it is a transparent white glass bowl, the color change can be observed with ease. If you are not pregnant, the vinegar solution might turn yellowish due to the urine but there will be no other color change.

Baking Soda Pregnancy Test 

You can test pregnancy easily with the baking soda pregnancy test. Baking soda is commonly available in every household and just two spoons of baking soda are all you need for the test along with the morning urine sample and a clean bowl. 

How To Take The Test 

• Pour the baking soda into the container
• Add the urine sample 
• Observe 

Reading The Result 

If you are pregnant, the urine will react with the baking soda forming bubbles and fizz. If there are no bubbles, and the baking soda does not react with the urine, it is a negative sign and most probably you are not pregnant. 

Storing Urine Pregnancy Test 

This DIY pregnancy test is one of the most commonly used pregnancy tests in history. To take this test, all you need is a clean and transparent glass jar, preferably with a cap and the first urine of the morning, when the HCG percentage is highest if you are pregnant. 

How To Take The Test 

• Collect the urine sample directly in the jar
• Close the cap  
• Let it stand for 24 hours 

Reading The Result 

If you are pregnant, after 24 hours, the urine will separate and a thin but clearly visible film will form over the sample. If you are not pregnant, there will be no such films. This is one of the easiest DIY pregnancy tests that you can take anywhere.  

Pine Sol Pregnancy Test 

This natural pregnancy test uses the common household antimicrobial agent pine sol, which is made from the pine tree. You should collect the normal pine sol that is unscented and golden brown. 

The pine sol pregnancy test is a popular home pregnancy test because here the color changes are vivid and historically it is believed to be more accurate as the interpretation of the result is less confusing. 

How To Take The Test 

• Pour some pine-sol into a clean glass
• Add the urine collected in the morning 
• Wait and see 

Reading The Result 

In case of a positive pregnancy, the golden-brown color of pine-sol will change to a bluish-green shade. If there is no change in color, most probably you are not pregnant.    

Dandelion Leaves Pregnancy Test 

Another natural way to test pregnancy, and through ages, it has been believed to provide accurate results. You can easily test pregnancy at home with some dandelions if they grow in your backyard or close by. You will need freshly plucked, young dandelion leaves, a plastic sheet, and urine collected early in the morning.      

How To Take The Test 

• Spread the leaves on the plastic sheet 
• Add a sufficient amount of urine sample to cover the leaves 
• Wait and watch  

Reading The Result 

It is believed that within 10 minutes you will see the leaves turn reddish-brown or bubbles will form on the leaves if there is HCG hormone in the urine. If there is no reaction, it is a negative sign and you might not be pregnant. 

Other Popular Tests   

Apart from the above tests, there are some more popular homemade tests like the shampoo pregnancy test, peroxide pregnancy test, wine pregnancy test, and a barley pregnancy test. 

There is also a home test with bleaching powder. The bleach pregnancy test is often considered one of the fastest to show results. When there is a possible pregnancy, a quick chemical reaction occurs between the urine sample and the bleaching powder, creating fizz and froth. No reaction indicates a negative result.  

How To Make Homemade Pregnancy Tests More Accurate? 

You can test pregnancy secretly, at home with the help of the above DIY pregnancy tests which might be important in case of an unplanned pregnancy but they will never provide as accurate results as the test performed in the doctor’s lab. 

However, there are some ways to improve the accuracy of these tests. Read on to find out, 

First, you should take the test at least a day after missing your period. Taking it after a few days or a week is even better. The HCG levels can be undetectable during very early pregnancy. The right time for doing a pregnancy test is imperative to increase the accuracy of the result.   

Second, always use the first urine of the morning for the test. If you are pregnant, the morning urine will have concentrated HCG levels, and every urine-based pregnancy test, be it a homemade one or a test kit, measures the HCG. So, take the test early in the morning^[2].  

Third, use a transparent, white and clean, glass bowl for performing the test. A colored bowl or a plastic container is not recommended for use. The colored bowl can make it difficult to read any color changes of the solution. On the other hand, a plastic container is not suitable for taking highly reactive tests like the bleaching powder test.  

Benefits Of DIY Pregnancy Tests  

It is important to keep in mind that all these home pregnancy tests were popular and commonly used during the times of our grandmothers and earlier when scientific pregnancy kits were not available and it often took pregnant women not only weeks but months to know their pregnancy status. However, even now, these tests have certain benefits. 

These are performed with ingredients that are easily available in the house or around. So, you need not buy anything to take the test. The easy availability of the ingredients also ensures that you can take the test whenever you want and repeat it if you need. 

In case of unplanned pregnancy or if you just want to confirm that you are not pregnant after a missed period, the homemade tests ensure complete secrecy. As you are not required to buy and dispose of anything specifically related to pregnancy, the chances of anyone getting to know about it are minimal. 

DIY Pregnancy Tests Are Not Medically Viable – Why? 

DIY pregnancy test results are not medically accepted as they lack a scientific basis or research-driven proof of accurate test results. There are many major drawbacks to these tests. 

In most cases, the exact amount of urine and the other ingredients to be used for the test are not known exactly, which can always impact the result, giving a negative sign even if there is a viable pregnancy or vice versa. 

There are also no exact guidelines regarding how long one should wait before reading the results and if the test is kept for long in the open, the ingredients might react with moisture in the air or other gases, giving wrong results.  

There is no scientific proof that urine with HCG reacts differently with the household ingredients used for DIY pregnancy tests. Also, the changes in color or texture of the ingredients as mentioned are always subject to interpretation.   

Irrespective of the results of a homemade pregnancy test, you always have to take a test with a kit or a blood test before announcing a pregnancy because homemade tests are not a reliable method.  

Taking a pregnancy test with a pregnancy test kit is simple, cheap, and an easy way to get an accurate result instantly. You will not need to wait for days to see if the seeds germinate, as you have to do for the wheat and barley seeds pregnancy test, or keep your eyes peeled to see if urine separates, forming a thin layer at the top. To test for pregnancy at home, just add a few drops of morning urine to the test kit and you will know with certainty if you are pregnant.    

Conclusion 

There are several homemade pregnancy tests that have been used since time immemorial to test for pregnancy. However, none of these tests is accurate or medically viable because all of them have some drawbacks and are prone to give misleading results, which can lead to serious mental stress and anxiety for the women and the family. 

Taking an at-home pregnancy test with a scientific test kit is easy and the best way to know quickly if you are pregnant. 

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