Home pregnancy tests are incredibly efficient. But since time immemorial, these old-fashioned ways have been used to confirm pregnancy.
While a scientific pregnancy test is the best way to confirm pregnancy, there are a number of historical, non-medical ways that were used before these miraculous devices were invented.
1. Stored Urine Test
:
- Collect your urine in a bottle or vessel like you would for a normal urine test.
- Then leave it untouched for about 3-4 hours.
- If a white film forms on the surface of the urine, chances are you may be pregnant.
- If there is no change in the urine and it remains clear, you are not pregnant.
2. Wheat and Barley Test:
This practice originated in ancient Egypt and in recent times was even tested in a laboratory to yield 70% accurate results. Women are advised to urinate on wheat and barley seeds over the course of several days; if the wheat sprouts, she is to have a baby girl, and if the barley sprouts, a boy. If neither sprouts, she isn’t pregnant.
3. Toothpaste Test:
Since the first urine of the day holds the secret, collect it in a bottle. Take some white tooth paste and add the urine sample to it. Let it stand for a couple of hours. If it changes colour or begins to froth, you probably are pregnant.
4. Bleach Test:
- Collect the first urine of the day and add some bleaching powder to it.
- If the urine starts fizzing and foaming, there is a good chance you may be pregnant.
- If you cannot get your hands on bleach, try using a concentrated soap solution.
5. Mustard Powder Test:
Mustard powder is considered to be a period inducer. So if you have missed your period or it is delayed, soak in a bath prepared with 2 cups of mustard powder followed by a warm shower. If you get your period after this in a day or two, it was probably just a false alarm. But 2 weeks after this test, if there is still no sign of your period, you are most likely pregnant.
6. Look for the Sign:
In the early stages of pregnancy – roughly at six to eight weeks, the cervix, labia and vagina can take on a dark bluish or purple-red colour due to increased blood flow to the area. This sign shows up much before food cravings or nausea. It was first noticed in 1836 by a French physician. In 1886, James Read Chadwick, an obstetrician bought up the discovery at an American Gynaecological Society meeting and is today known as ‘Chadwick’s Sign’.
There is no shortage of non-medical ways to find out if you are having a baby. Many of these ways are inaccurate old wives tales. But while you play the wait and watch game, they are fun to play with, and don’t involve anything dangerous – just a bit of urine sample.