When you think you might be pregnant, you want confirmation ASAP. Yesterday, if possible.
Maybe you’re the kind of person who has a drawer full of First Response tests, but if not, and you need to know right now if you’re pregnant, then you might be tempted to try a so-called “homemade pregnancy test.”
These tests are rumored to use common household substances like sugar to confirm a pregnancy.
A quick lesson in pregnancy hormones
When you’re pregnant, your body develops an organ called a placenta inside your uterus. This placenta will provide nutrients to your growing fetus, and it also produces a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). A legit pregnancy test will confirm the presence of hCG in your urine. That’s why people call hCG “the pregnancy hormone.”
Homemade pregnancy tests also claim to detect hCG. They allege that adding urine from your first pee of the day to a household substance will cause a chemical reaction that confirms the presence of hCG.
Sure, a chemical reaction may happen when you combine two substances. But a chemical reaction alone is not an indicator of the hCG hormone and it’s not the confirmation of a pregnancy.
You need a store-bought pregnancy test to achieve 97 percent accuracy.
Bottom line:
When you want to know for sure if you’re pregnant, forget about going the easy and inexpensive route. There’s no scientific evidence to prove that DIY pregnancy tests actually work. Zip. Zero. Zilch.
Still curious? Here are eight of the most common homemade pregnancy tests and how they are rumored to work.
How to use it (according to rumors)
A homemade pregnancy test with sugar sounds easy, since most of us have sugar around our house. Put a few spoonfuls of sugar in a bowl and add some early morning urine. The reaction of the sugar allegedly indicates pregnancy.
How it’s rumored to work
Allegedly, the sugar will clump if you’re pregnant (thanks to the presence of hCG), and it’ll dissolve if you’re not pregnant.
Alas, sugar is not proven to detect hCG and there’s no scientific merit to the sugar pregnancy test.
Bottom line: Add sugar to your morning coffee, but don’t use it to confirm a pregnancy.
How to use it (according to rumors)
Fill one bowl with your morning urine and a second bowl with 1 tablespoon of shampoo mixed with water.
Add the urine to the bowl of shampoo and water, and then watch what happens.
How it’s rumored to work
The hCG is supposed to react with the chemicals in shampoo and cause it to froth and foam.
It’s tempting to believe that something “natural” interacting with something “chemical” could prove a pregnancy. That might feel like science. However, it’s definitely not legit.
A chemical reaction from adding urine to shampoo doesn’t confirm pregnancy. All it confirms is that urine sometimes causes shampoo to froth or foam. Also, all shampoo formulas are different.
Bottom line: Use shampoo for cleaning your hair, not for confirming a pregnancy.
How to use it (according to rumors)
The bleach pregnancy test says to mix your early morning urine with bleach and peep the chemical reaction that follows.
WARNING: Don’t try this at home!
But if you do, DON’T pee directly into the bleach. Undiluted bleach is extremely caustic — i.e. it can burn your skin.
How it’s rumored to work
The bleach pregnancy test claims that it’ll start foaming or fizzing if the hCG hormone is detected.
Once again, this test doesn’t have scientific backing. A chemical reaction from adding bleach and urine doesn’t confirm pregnancy. It actually can be risky if the bleach isn’t handled carefully!
Bottom line: Bleach is good for getting your whites whiter, but not for confirming pregnancy.
How to use it (according to rumors)
Similar to the shampoo method, this test is conducted by mixing soap — either dish soap or bar soap — with early morning urine.
Some instructions for this alleged test claim there needs to be a ratio of three times more pee than soap. The chemical reaction will indicate whether or not you’re up the duff.
How it’s rumored to work
Like the shampoo test, the soap pregnancy test claims to confirm a pregnancy if the soap starts foaming up.
There’s zero proof that soap confirms the presence of the hCG hormone, and this test is not backed by science.
Bottom line: Wash your dishes with soap, but don’t use it for a pregnancy test.
How to use it (according to rumors)
White vinegar is made from a combination of acetic acid and water, and it’s rumored to work as a pregnancy test.
Combine early morning urine with white vinegar. A reaction of bubbles and a change of color “confirms” a pregnancy. Some websites claim you only need 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, while others recommend half a cup.
How it’s rumored to work
Once again, it’s rumored that the presence of hCG can be confirmed in white vinegar. Science disagrees.
Adding urine to white vinegar might cause bubbles or a change of color –– you’re adding a yellow substance to a clear/white one, after all. But those reactions alone don’t confirm the presence of hCG.
Bottom line: White vinegar is delicious for a salad dressing, but useless for a pregnancy test.
How to use it (according to rumors)
For the baking soda pregnancy test, collect a cup of your morning urine and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Then keep your eyes peeled for the “telltale” fizz.
How it’s rumored to work
Allegedly, the baking soda will fizz if the hCG hormone is in your urine. There’s no scientific evidence to support these claims. (Are you sensing a pattern here?)
There’s actually more than one baking-soda-and-pregnancy-related rumor online. Some peeps also claim that combining baking soda and urine can tell you whether you’re having a boy or a girl. (What is it with baking soda that seems so legit?)
Bottom line: Baking soda is helpful for carpet stains, but not for confirming a pregnancy.
How to use it (according to rumors)
If you’ve mopped a floor before, then you’re familiar with Pine-Sol, but testing for pregnancy?
The Pine-Sol pregnancy test says to use 1/2 cup of the pine-scented cleaner and 1/2 cup of your morning pee to test for the hCG hormone. Wait to see if it changes color.
How it’s rumored to work
Allegedly, if Pine-Sol changes color when combined with urine, it means you’re pregnant. This claim isn’t supported by science.
Pine-Sol comes in a rainbow of colors, like orange-brown, blue, and purple. Yes, the liquid might change color if you add yellow urine to it. But that’s only because two colors combine to make a new color (#ArtClass).
Pine-Sol doesn’t test for the hCG hormone and the color change alone is not a confirmation of pregnancy.
Bottom line: Pine-Sol will clean your grubby floors, but it won’t confirm a pregnancy.
How to use it (according to rumors)
Advocates of the toothpaste pregnancy test say to take a couple of tablespoons of toothpaste and add urine to test for pregnancy.
How it’s rumored to work
It’s rumored that the presence of the hCG hormone will cause the toothpaste to change color or fizz.
Again, there’s no evidence that toothpaste accurately tests for hCG. Adding urine to toothpaste may cause a chemical reaction, but that alone is not a confirmation of pregnancy.
Bottom line: Toothpaste keeps your breath minty fresh, but it won’t tell you if you’re pregnant.
Seeing what happens when you combine your pee with sugar or Pine-Sol may be fun (like reading your palms or daily horoscope). But there’s no research to suggest they work as pregnancy tests.
If you’re really looking to determine whether or not you’re preggers from the comfort of your own home, you’re better off using a home pregnancy test (HPT) from the pharmacy –– or Amazon.
Additional confirmation from a healthcare professional is also advised.
If you suspect you’re pregnant, HPTs are a science-backed way to confirm it. They contain a chemical that becomes activated when it interacts with the pregnancy hormone in your urine.
Some tests have color-changing strips, while other tests are digital and give you results on a tiny screen.
To use a pregnancy test, pee directly on the stick by holding it under your stream while you urinate, or pee into a cup and place the stick inside. You’ll have an answer in minutes.
While inaccurate results like false positives do happen, HPTs are 97 percent accurate. You can take them as early as the first day of your missed period, but some pregnancy tests work 4 or 5 days before your period is due.
Your healthcare provider can also confirm pregnancy with a blood test.
A missed period is the granddaddy of pregnancy symptoms, but there are others. Common early symptoms of pregnancy are:
- nausea
- vomiting
- headaches
- exhaustion
- mood swings
- bloating
- tender breasts or nipples
- frequent urination
- light bleeding or spotting
- food cravings or aversions
- weight gain
Some of these symptoms overlap with other common conditions. For instance, vomiting could be a sign of food poisoning, and frequent urination could signal a urinary tract infection.
It may sound fun or tempting to try a DIY pregnancy test, but only science-backed tests will land you a reliable result.
A pregnancy can be a life-changing event and can come with a lot of emotions, confusion and stress –– you definitely want it confirmed by science.