Homemade Pregnancy Test

No pregnancy test is 100% reliable, unless it has been conducted by a doctor or trained medical practitioner. However, homemade pregnancy tests, though not sounding very reliable, provide a natural alternative to the over-the-counter or off-the-shelf pregnancy tests. For private reasons like teenage pregnancy or due to some financial crisis, many women may opt for homemade pregnancy tests. Now I know what must be striking your mind - 'how do you make a homemade pregnancy test kit?' Well, read right ahead to get to the point!

How to Make a Pregnancy Test Kit?
Here are some simple steps to prepare homemade pregnancy test kit. The practice of using natural substances to test for pregnancy has been prevalent since ancient times and the methods mentioned below are among the earliest pregnancy test kits humanity had access to.

Homemade Pregnancy Test with Dandelion Leaves: Remove the dandelion leaves off the stem and keep them on a piece of plastic wrap on the ground. Leave them on the ground and make sure they are not under direct sunlight. Now urinate on the dandelion leaves and ensure that you saturate them thoroughly. Let the leaves as it is and check on them after every ten minutes. If red blisters appear on the leaves, it is a sign that you may be pregnant.

Homemade Pregnancy Test with Pine Sol: Pine sol is an essential oil derived by the steam distillation of needles, twigs and cones from a variety of species of pine, especially Pinus sylvestris. Commonly used as a cleaning product and a lubricant, it can also be used for homemade pregnancy test. All you need to do is mix your urine with the pine sol and wait for some time to see whether there is any color change. If so, you may be pregnant.

Homemade Pregnancy Test with Bleach: Bleach, a chemical that removes colors or whitens through oxidation, can also be used for homemade pregnancy test. Just add your urine to a cup of bleach and if it fizzes or becomes frothy, it is a possibility that you are pregnant.

How the Pregnancy Test Works?
After reading the above segment, you must be wondering what is it in the urine that gives away whether you are pregnant or not. Well, a pregnancy test basically detects a specific hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is released by the developing placenta shortly after a woman conceives. The production of the hormone quickly increases in the body after every 24 hours, and can be noticed in her circulatory system and urine soon after she becomes pregnant. Traces of this hormone are present in the urine of a pregnant woman and all the above pregnancy tests are useful in detecting it in the urine sample. But the date of implantation, i.e., when the pregnancy begins, is not similar to the date of conception. Conception usually occurs within 24 hours of ovulation, while the implantation takes place six or more days after conception. When the fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining of the womb, the hCG hormone is released by the placenta (tissue surrounding the growing baby), which takes place approximately a week after ovulation.

The hCG levels in early pregnancy are evaluated in Milli-International Units (mIU) or amounts equal to 1/1000th of an IU per milliliter. If a woman conceives, the concentration of hCG hormone in the body should be somewhere around 25 mIU at 10 dpo (days past ovulation), 50 mIU at 12 dpo, and 100 mIU at 15 dpo. However, for earliest detection of pregnancy, the test should be conducted eight days after conception, when the hormone concentration is somewhere between 5 to 10 mIU. More on best time to take a pregnancy test.

While these homemade pregnancy tests might be a unique way to explore science and possibly confirm pregnancy, it is important that a woman should accurately verify her pregnancy through a doctor or a medical practitioner so that she can seek proper prenatal care as early as possible. However, the fastest and most reliable way to confirm a pregnancy is to purchase a home pregnancy test kit or have pregnancy confirmed through a blood or urine test at the doctor's clinic.