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Amongst the few things which absolutely necessitate privacy for a woman, I suppose, a pregnancy test is right up there at No 1.

Married or otherwise, women do find pregnancy tests at home more suitable as compared to visiting a doctor or taking the test at a clinic.

Why?

Obviously curiosity. Who won’t be!

Since ancient times, when the pregnancy test strips and kits didn’t exist, and a blood test wasn’t an option, women have been doing pregnancy tests at home.

# Are Homemade Pregnancy tests accurate and reliable ?

Here are some quick and foolproof ways to test pregnancy at home without kit:

You can easily conduct a pregnancy test at home with shampoo. The procedure to conduct this test is extremely simple and effective.

Requirements:

• Two bowls/ cups clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Shampoo

Test Procedure:

• Collect a small sample of urine from the first exertion of the day in a clean bowl.
• Now take another bowl and fill the bowl halfway with clean water.
• Add a few drops of shampoo to it. Ensure that the bowl of shampoo solution is free from any froth or foam formation.
• Now add your urine sample in the bowl and observe the changes.

Test results:

• Positive: If there is any froth or foam formation in the solution of shampoo after adding the urine sample, then it should be taken as a positive sign of pregnancy.
• Negative: If there no froth is formed, then it is likely that the person is not pregnant

Sugar, a common ingredient found in every kitchen cabinet, can be used to test pregnancy at home. Taking a pregnancy test using sugar is rather easy to conduct and interpret.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Sugar

Test Procedure:

• Place a small quantity of fine sugar in a plastic cup.
• Add the morning urine sample to the cup and observe the same for any chemical reaction.

Test results:

• Positive: If sugar clumps are formed in the cup, then it should be seen as a positive result of your pregnancy test.
• Negative: On the other hand, if the sugar gets dissolved then the result is negative.

If you are wondering how accurate is the sugar pregnancy test, then you should know that conducting this test at early stage will always get Negative results.

You can also perform homemade pregnancy test with salt. The salt pregnancy test is often considered as one of the most reliable pregnancy tests. The procedure of the test is quite simple.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry - preferably transparent (like glass container)
• Morning urine sample
• Common Salt

Test Procedure:

• Take a fresh sample of urine from the first exertion of the morning in the bowl.
• Add a small quantity of salt to the sample (about two pinches).
• Observe the changes in the solution.

Test results:

• Positive: If the urine sample starts turning into a milky and cheesy solution then it is a positive indicator of pregnancy.
• Negative: If there’s no change in the salt-urine mixture then you are not pregnant.

Baking soda can help you clear any doubts regarding pregnancy. The procedure for conducting a pregnancy test using baking soda at home is extremely simple.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Baking Soda

Test Procedure:

• Take two tablespoons of baking soda in a plastic cup
• Add the morning urine sample to the cup.
• Observe the mixture for results.

Test results:

• Positive: If the mixture fizzes up then it is a positive indicator of your pregnancy.
• Negative: If the baking soda settles down and doesn’t react with the urine then you are not pregnant.

Didn’t see this one coming, did you? Well, it is possible to conduct a pregnancy test at home with toothpaste. The toothpaste based pregnancy test is an effective and reliable alternative.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Toothpaste - plain toothpaste without any shiny crystals or salt in it

Test Procedure:

• Pour a blob of toothpaste in a clean bowl or any container.
• Collect a sample of urine from the first exertion of the day.
• Mix the urine sample with the toothpaste thoroughly.
• Observe the bowl for some changes.

Test results:

• Positive: If the mixture produces bubbles and starts turning blue, then it the person is likely to be pregnant.
• Negative: If there is no change in the mixture or if it only produces bubbles, then you are not pregnant.

Bleach is a strong oxidizing agent that is used for washing clothes, removing stains and several other daily tasks. This oxidizing agent can also be used for conducting a pregnancy test at home.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Bleaching Powder

Test Procedure:

• Put a small quantity of bleach powder in a clean container.
• Now add the urine sample from the first urine exertion of the day to the container
• Observe the solution for chemical reactions.

If you are thinking -”Does the Bleaching Powder pregnancy test work”, believe me, it does.

In case of doubt, you can always ask direct questions to sheroes health community and experts.

Test results:

• Positive: If the mixture starts exerting a good amount of gas, fumes or bubbles, then it indicates that the woman taking the test is pregnant.
• Negative: In case there is no reaction in the mixture, then the test result is negative and the person is not pregnant.

Recommended Reading: 'Common pregnancy myths busted' by Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar.

7. Soap Pregnancy Test

The bathing soap you use on a daily basis can easily be used to check pregnancy at home.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Soap

Test Procedure:

• Place a small piece of soap in a clean container/ bowl.
• Take the first morning urine sample and add it to the container.
• Wait for 5-6 minutes and observe the container for possible reactions between the soap and the urine sample.

Test results:

• Positive: If you see a formation of froth and foam then this confirms that the women taking the test is pregnant.
• Negative: If there is no reaction with soap, then the woman is not pregnant.

Recommended Reading: Know how you can also get Pregnant on your Periods!

8. Wheat and Barley Pregnancy Test

You’d be surprised to know that, that this is an ancient test readily followed by the Egyptians and has proven highly accurate even in modern times.

This test can be performed at home as wheat and barley seeds are readily available in any general store.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Wheat grains ('gehu' in hindi)
• Barley grains ('jau' in hindi)

Test Procedure:

• Put equal amounts of wheat ('gehu' in hindi) and barley ('jau' in hindi) grains in a bowl.
• Pour a small sample of morning urine in that bowl.
• Wait for 2-3 days and observe the bowl.

Test results:

• Positive: If the seeds sprout and show signs of plant growth, it means the pregnancy test is positive.
• Negative: If there is no change in the seeds then you are not pregnant.

Note: For more accurate results, perform this test after 2-3 days of missed periods.

9. Tuna Juice and Vinegar

Using tuna juice and vinegar is perhaps one of the easiest ways to confirm your pregnancy at home. You can also opt for canned tuna juice to conduct this test.

 Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• ¼ cup of vinegar ('sirka' in hindi)
• ¼ cup of tuna juice

Test Procedure:

• Mix ¼ cup of vinegar, ¼ cup of tuna juice in a container/ bowl.
• Add ½ cup of morning urine sample to this mixture.
• Wait for the chemical reaction to see the results.

Test results:

• Positive: If the solution turns green then this will mean a positive result for your pregnancy test.
• Negative: If the solution turns orangish-yellow then you are not pregnant.

10. Pine-Sol Pregnancy Test

Just like Bleaching Powder, pine-sol is another cleaning agent that can be used to test pregnancy at home.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Pine-sol

Test Procedure:

• Take a half cup of pine-sol solution in a plastic cup.
• Note down the initial colour of the pine-sol solution.
• Add the morning urine sample to this cup.
• Leave the solution for a while and then observe the changes.

Test results:

• Positive: If the coulour of the mixture changes, then this indicates a positive result for your pregnancy test.
• Negative: If the colour does not change then it is likely that the person is not pregnant.

11. Tylenol and Peroxide Pregnancy Test

The Tylenol tablets and peroxide solution which are commonly found in your medicine box can be used for your home-based pregnancy test.

Requirements:

• One bowl/ cup clean and dry
• Morning urine sample
• Tylenol tablets
• Peroxide solution

Test Procedure:

• Take a quarter of a cup of peroxide solution.
• Crush two Tylenol tablets and mix it with the peroxide in the cup.
• Take the first urine sample from the day and add 1/4th cup of the sample to the solution.
• Observe for any change in the mixture.

Test results:

• Positive: Formation of blue colored foam will mean a positive result for your pregnancy test.
• Negative: If there is no change in the colour of the solution, then the person taking the test is not pregnant.

Note: For best results, use white Tylenol pills for the test. Using red Tylenol pills will turn the urine solution brown. 

Are Homemade Pregnancy tests accurate and reliable?

Pregnancy tests at home are not only safe, quick and affordable but they are also easily accessible as the items are within reach. At the first occurrence of possible symptoms like a delayed menstrual cycle, fatigue or mood swings, open your kitchen and bathroom cabinets and pull out the listed ingredients to confirm your pregnancy in a reliable and discreet way.

If you are not sure about your symptoms, refer this article about 'Early Pregnancy Symptoms Before Missed Period' written by Dr. Michelle Frank.

All the home pregnancy tests prescribed here are found to be highly effective and the results of these tests are easy to interpret. However, these tests only indicate towards a possible pregnancy but they don't confirm it as accurately as a pregnancy test kit does. Using a pregnancy test kit is a much more reliable option as they confirm pregnancy. Along with using a pregnancy test kit, it is also also recommended that you should consult a doctor or visit a Gynaecologist and get an examination done to confirm your pregnancy on medical grounds.

If the results are positive, and you are pregnant, then I would recommend you to read this post about best exercise during pregnancy.

Conceiving a baby and experiencing pregnancy can be an emotionally daunting, stressful and confusing especially for first time mothers. Hence it is adviced to discuss and share your doubts with someone knowledgeable as you undergo physical and emotional changes through each trimester.

If you still have any unanswered questions, you can join our SHEROES - a woman only platform, where you can ask your doubts with your fellow SHEROES members and Doctors who can address your concerns and clarify your doubts, all without any interference or judgement or ridicule from the outside world.

Join the 'SHEROES - Babygogo' community and start asking your doubts right away.