“You want to make a homemade WHAT?” It may sound crazy to some, but there are a surprising number of ways to make a pregnancy test at home. While nothing shy of a confirmed doctor visit can be one hundred percent reliable, homemade tests actually work on similar principles as the pregnancy tests you would buy at the local drug store. Pregnancy tests detect a hormone in women’s urine. There are a few different ways you can do the same with a homemade test. Everything from baking soda to dandelion leaves can help you find out if you have a baby on the way.
If you are showing signs, such as a missed period, nausea or fatigue and suspect you may be pregnant, but circumstances—discretion, mobility, etc.—prevent you from getting a convenient store-bought stick to pee on, look around the house. Odds are good you will find common elements to produce possible answers at home. Remember that the results may not be completely accurate. Using the first urine in the morning will always produce the best results, because it is the most concentrated sample your body will make. Store your sample in a plastic cup with a lid, if possible, until ready to use.
Toothpaste- Who knew toothpaste could play such a vital role in the world of expectant mothers? Depending on the brand of toothpaste you use, a dollop of plain white toothpaste may be able to do more than just freshen your breath. Put a dollop in a cup and pee on it. You only need to catch approximately 2 tablespoons of urine. Wait 5-10 minutes, if you are pregnant, the white toothpaste may turn light blue and/or foam. If you are not pregnant, it will not foam and it will stay white.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Tylenol- For this test, it’s important to use white (not red) Tylenol pills. Two tablets, crushed, will do the trick. Mix the crushed Tylenol with 2 tablespoons of Hydrogen peroxide. You can either add a few tablespoons of urine to this mixture in a cup, or, an easier method would be pouring the pill/peroxide mix into the toilet and peeing on it. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes. If your pee turns blue, you are pregnant. If it doesn’t change color, you’re not.
Dandelions- On a camping trip? Wilderness travel can render it hard to come by a drugstore kit. It seems strange that dandelions may help you find out if you have a baby on the way. Try gathering just 2-3 fresh dandelion leaves, soaking them in a container with approximately ½ cup of morning urine. Keep it out of direct sunlight. Wait 10 minutes. If you are pregnant, there will be red blisters on the leaves. Negative results are no signs of blisters.
Baking Soda- This common household item can come in handy if you are anxious to determine if conception has occurred. Simply put two tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl and add your collected urine. Observe for several minutes. If the baking soda starts to bubble up, the way a pop bottle would, the results are positive. If nothing happens, you are likely not pregnant, or, your body simply has not made enough of the hormone to render a positive result.
Sugar- Planning sugar for your morning coffee? How about first setting aside about 3 tablespoons to see if you have a baby coming along? This test works with white granulated sugar and approximately ½ cup of morning urine. Powdered sugar will not work, because the test relies on the sugar clumping or not, and powdered sugar will dissolve no matter what. Put some sugar in a cup and pee on it. Wait 5-10 minutes. If the sugar dissolves, you are not pregnant. If there are clumps of sugar, congratulations! P.S. Use a different cup for your morning beverage drinking!
Bleach- There may not necessarily be a color change to this method, but if you are pregnant, there should be a foaming and fizzing reaction when you mix ½ cup of morning urine with a ½ cup of bleach. Make sure you cover your mouth and nose when testing this way, and go outside if possible, as bleach fumes are unsafe to inhale. After 3-5 minutes, if there is no reaction, the results are negative.
Soap- Similar to the bleach test, soap will give a frothing or foaming reaction if you are pregnant. Just put a small piece of soap in a cup, it doesn’t much matter the type or color, and add a couple tablespoons of urine, waiting 2-5 minutes. No reaction means no hormone detected. If it foams/bubbles up, you can bet on a positive result. Use the remainder of pee-free soap to wash up with.
If you need a quick, simple way to see if you are expecting a baby, these homemade tests can do the trick. Try a few different approaches to compare the outcomes, and always back up these methods with professional results. All of these reactions are testing to see if you have the presence of the hormone hCG in your urine, which your body only produces when it is forming the placenta. If you have negative results after several methods, but still have other signs of pregnancy, check with your doctor.