Today it is not difficult to find out about your “interesting” position. You just need to buy a special test at the pharmacy. And how did our grandmothers and great-grandmothers find out about pregnancy?

Determining pregnancy with iodine and soda

Did our ancestors think that medicine would reach the level it has now? Of course not. But the fact that some changes occur in the body of a pregnant woman was guessed. And they were sure that these changes are necessarily reflected in the urine of a woman, so most of the ways to determine pregnancy in those days were associated with her. In particular, there were two methods for determining conception using iodine. One technique involved adding 2 drops of iodine to a container of urine. If the drug was dissolved in it, then pregnancy was excluded, and if it floated on the surface, it was confirmed.

In another method, iodine had to be dropped onto a piece of paper soaked in the woman's urine. If iodine reacted with the liquid, that is, it dyed the paper blue or purple, then the woman was announced that she would soon become a mother, and if there was no reaction, then the bad news had to be carried. Soda could also tell a woman about the presence or absence of a baby inside her womb. For this experiment, a woman's urine was also collected and one spoonful of soda was added to it. If the soda hissed with the release of gas bubbles, then the pregnancy was still at the planning stage, and if it precipitated, it was safe to say that conception had occurred.

How else was pregnancy determined?

Our ancestors attached great importance to dreams. And today in many dream books you can read that the fish dreams of pregnancy. And what is most surprising, many women confirm that the fish in their dreams indicated precisely pregnancy.

If a woman wanted to know whether she would soon be a mother or not, she was offered to plant two bulbs and guess which of them would symbolize nascent life and which would not. Then it was necessary to wait until the bulbs sprout and the one that first reached a height of 4 cm, and had to give the correct answer.

The method of determining pregnancy with the help of a ring and one's own hair was very popular. They put the hair in a ring and hung it over the stomach. Any movement of the ring indicated pregnancy, and if it turned out to be motionless, conception was not confirmed. By the way, the sex of the unborn child was also determined in the same way: if the ring moved from side to side, then they waited, if in a circle, then a girl. It was also believed that the urine of a pregnant woman was able to act as a fertilizer. She watered the flowers in the garden and watched them: if they gave a lush color and were healthy, then the woman's pregnancy was confirmed.

The main indicator and indicator is a delay in the menstrual cycle by more than 10 days. If regular female troubles have not happened to you, you can try to determine pregnancy at home without a test (if for some reason you do not want to use it).

By urine

In the past, before the advent of special medical devices, an interesting position was determined in several folk ways. Collect morning urine in a clean container and test quickly (no longer than 20 minutes).

Irina Martirosova, Gynecologist, Head of Medical Projects, Personalized Medicine Laboratory "LabQuest"

To diagnose pregnancy, 4-5 days before the delay in menstruation, you can take an analysis to determine hCG in the blood. If the delay is more than 5 days, then even the simplest and cheapest test strip with a sensitivity of 25 mIU / ml can determine the presence or absence of pregnancy.

• Add a teaspoon of soda. If no reaction followed, and the soda sank to the bottom, then the result is positive. If she began to seethe and bubble, then a happy event awaits you later.
• Boil the urine and pour it into a glass container. If a white precipitate appears at the bottom, then the result is positive.
• Do the test yourself. On a clean paper strip you need to drip a couple of drops of iodine and lower them into a container. If iodine has changed color to purple, you will be replenished.
• Add a drop of iodine directly to your urine- Another sure way to find out pregnancy without a test. If it dissolves, nothing happens. If it remains intact and stays on the surface, you are pregnant.
• Dilute potassium permanganate with water and add to urine in equal proportions. If the mixture turns white, the answer is yes.
• in the rectum for several days in a row. Start the procedure immediately after waking up, without getting out of bed and without doing sudden movements. If the thermometer is stable at 37 ° C and above, then you will soon have a baby.

How to know if you're pregnant without a test

Everything is very relative and each girl has her own symptoms of an interesting situation. Someone begins to feel both strange and bad literally from the first days, while someone very easily endures the entire period - almost nothing changes in her well-being, condition and self-perceptions. But it is worth paying attention to these signs - they are on early dates tell you if you're pregnant even without a test .

• Increase in appetite, as well as the appearance in the diet of products that previously did not arouse interest. “I was drawn to salty things” is not just a saying, because a woman’s water-salt balance in her body changes.
• Morning sickness will tell how to determine pregnancy without a test .
• Drowsiness, lethargy, fatigue and fatigue- important "calls" that should not be missed. This is quite obvious - the body throws all its strength into preserving the fetus and its harmonious and proper development.
• Colorless discharge that often accompanies recent fertilization.
• Pay attention to the sense of smell- this is one way to check pregnancy without a test. For girls in position, it is aggravated - they can distinguish the slightest changes and shades of smells.
• Breast tenderness and pain in this area are usually accompanied by other symptoms.
• Frequent mood swings and increased emotionality- Another sign that occurs in most.
• Frequent urination to the toilet- Another signal of the body that cannot be ignored. But other inflammations are important at once. During pregnancy, they can also occur, but not in the early stages.

Folk omens

How to find out that you are pregnant without a test - listen to your inner feelings, which are often based on authentic signs and predictions.

1. There is a characteristic metallic taste in the mouth.
2. If you dream of water or fish, then soon your family will have one more person.
3. In the old days, it was believed that if you water the plants with the urine of a pregnant woman, they begin to grow faster and become more prolific.

All these methods take place only in special cases, when it is really not possible to use professional medical testing. If it still seems to you that you are in an interesting position, which has been confirmed by all non-medical methods, do not postpone a visit to the doctor.

If thoughts of pregnancy appear, the first thing every woman goes to the pharmacy. Modern tests determine the "interesting position" with an accuracy of 99%. True, not early. And not everyone has the opportunity to promptly purchase such a test.

What to do in this case?

The body will not deceive: how to determine pregnancy by its condition

Pregnancy affects every woman differently.

But, as a rule, they are the same for everyone ...

• The chest is enlarged. This happens due to the action of sex hormones. The mammary glands “wake up” for a future meeting with the child - the chest fills up and becomes especially sensitive, and the nipples become brighter and more painfully sensitive (although this can also be before menstruation). If menstruation has passed, and the chest is still unusually enlarged, there is reason to think.
• Heaviness in the lower back and lower abdomen. Again, in addition to pregnancy, these signs are also characteristic of premenstrual days.
• Weight gain.
• Nausea. Especially the morning one. The most striking sign of the 1st trimester. But toxicosis is not characteristic of all expectant mothers. At the same time, if it occurs simultaneously with other signs of pregnancy, then morning sickness may well indicate that another life has arisen inside you.
• A sharp exacerbation of the sense of smell. Expectant mothers, as a rule, begin to react sharply to smells. Even those that have long become familiar. Can irritate the smell of fried food, fish in the store, etc.
• Changes in taste preferences. Salty cravings are not necessary at all: the changes can be completely unexpected. For example, you want chalk, coffee grounds or herring with jam.
• Mood swings. They are also characteristic of expectant mothers: gaiety sharply flows into tearfulness, that into hysteria, hysteria back into gaiety, then into anger, etc. True, it is worth noting that stress, dissatisfaction and fatigue, sometimes even outside of pregnancy, create similar “miracles” with women (especially before menstruation).
• Increased drowsiness, weakness, occasional dizziness. When is born new life, my mother's body begins to spend more energy - now not only for itself, but also for the development of its child. Therefore, the former endurance falters, and sometimes you want to lie down even after climbing the stairs.
• Increased appetite. This is also natural during pregnancy - after all, you have to eat for two.
• Pigmentation. This symptom does not appear in all expectant mothers, but very often - pimples and freckles, various spots appear on the body, which are formed due to changes in hormonal background and increase the level of melanin. There are many cases when changes even affect the hair - they begin to curl or, on the contrary, straighten. True, as regards the latter case, it manifests itself already in a later period.
• Frequent urination. As you know, an enlarged uterus begins to put pressure on bladder, which explains such urges. But not in the first weeks of pregnancy.
• Change in the nature of menstruation. They may become scarcer, more abundant, or not come at all. And they can come for 1 day with “smearing traces”.

Of course, the appearance of these symptoms, even in their totality, is by no means cannot be considered 100% confirmation of pregnancy. This is just an excuse to seek advice from a gynecologist and confirm your "position" or lack of pregnancy.

How to determine pregnancy without a test at home?

The temptation to experience the cherished "2 stripes", of course, is great. But it makes sense to conduct such “research” only if there is already a delay in menstruation - that is, after 2 weeks of conception .

How to check whether it happened or not happened at an early stage?

• . Usually girls use this method when planning a pregnancy. The meaning of the method is the difference in basal temperature. This temperature rises markedly on the days of ovulation and then slowly decreases before menstruation. If there is no such decrease, and the basal / temperature on the 1st days of the delay is at the level of 37 degrees and above, there is a possibility of pregnancy. Important: temperature measurement should take place at the same time (approx. - in the morning, before getting out of bed) and, of course, with one thermometer.
  
• Iodine and urine. Test scheme: wake up, collect the first urine in a clean glass container, drip 1 drop of iodine into it (using a pipette) and analyze the result. It is believed that in the "interesting position" iodine will collect in one drop directly on top of the urine. But if iodine spreads and settles at the bottom, then it’s too early to buy booties. True, in this method, much depends on the density of urine (high error of the method) and on the intake of medicines.
  
• Iodine and paper. Test scheme: we collect the first urine again in a clean container, dip a piece of white paper into it, wait a few minutes, pull out and gurgle a drop of iodine on it. Evaluation of the result: when staining the "parchment" in purple - there is a pregnancy, in blue - no. Again, the error of the method is high.
  
• Soda and urine. Test scheme: we collect the first urine in a clean glass container, pour ordinary soda there (no more than 1 tsp), wait for the reaction. Test score: soda bubbled and hissed - no pregnancy. The reaction is calm - you are pregnant. The basis of the method, as in the previous case, is the determination of the acidity of the material. Urine future mother usually alkaline, and, accordingly, there can be no violent reaction upon contact with soda. If soda gets into an acidic environment (approx. - in the urine of a non-pregnant woman), then the reaction will be violent.
  
• We boil urine. The “test” scheme: we collect morning urine in a transparent and refractory container and, putting it on fire, wait for it to boil. Then immediately remove and cool. If there is a precipitate, you are pregnant. In its absence, the liquid will remain clean. Note: sediment can also appear if there are problems with the kidneys or with the urinary tract.

We determine pregnancy in the early stages - folk methods

The unknown is the worst. Therefore, until the moment when it will be possible to determine pregnancy by a doctor or with the help of a test, a variety of methods are used. Including "grandmothers".

How did our ancestors determine pregnancy?

• Urine color. In the morning and in the evening, as our great-grandmothers also noticed, the urine of the expectant mother acquires a dark yellow color.
• Flowers and urine. Not very romantic, but fun and authentic. In any case, our ancestors thought so. So, we collect urine all night and morning, and then we water our garden flowers with it. If they bloomed in full force, we can assume that there is a pregnancy. You can also water a home flower: if it gives new leaves and grows up, then the result is positive.
• Ficus. And again about flowers. If your old ficus is suddenly “born” with new shoots or leaves, expect an addition to the family (according to legend).
• Pulse. We lie down on our back, look for a place that is 7-8 cm below the navel and lightly press our hand to the stomach in this area. A pulsing sensation means pregnancy. Ancestors considered this pulsation to be the heartbeat of the unborn baby. In fact, it only means the pulsation of the vessels, which increases in the "interesting period" due to good blood circulation in the pelvic organs.
• Onion. Another fun method. We take 2 onions and plant them in 2 glasses, respectively signed: the left one - “yes” (approx. - pregnancy), the right one - “no” (its absence). Waiting for bulbs to germinate. Which will germinate first by 4 cm - she will give the answer.
• And, of course, dreams. Without them, nowhere. According to them, many of our ancestors practically predicted the future, clarified the past and studied the present. So, a dream about ... fish was considered a 100% sign of pregnancy. It doesn't matter which one or where. You can catch it, keep it, eat it, buy it, etc. The main thing is fish. It should be noted that laughter is laughter, but even in our time, which is quite free from superstitions, many mothers say that this is a “dream in the hand.”
• Recipe from medieval literature. Pour morning urine into the container and add wine to it (approx. - proportion 1: 1). If the liquid remains clear, you are pregnant.

Of course, there are no medical grounds to consider these methods correct. All of them are based on the superstitions of our ancestors.

It should be remembered that "home" tests do not give such accuracy as pharmacy "2 strips", an hCG test, a consultation with a gynecologist, and.

The site site provides background information. Determination of pregnancy in a high degree of probability is possible only with special pharmacy tests or on examination by a doctor. If you experience the first symptoms, contact a specialist!

Pregnancy is not a new phenomenon. Women have been pregnant and giving birth for many centuries, and it is clear that throughout this time they have been trying to find ways to confirm their pregnancy in the early stages. The options of visiting a doctor or buying an express pregnancy test at the nearest pharmacy were not available to the ancestors of modern women. They relied on what are now called "people's pregnancy tests," which still work today.

Why you need to learn about pregnancy by folk methods

While antenatal clinics are recommended and available to most women of reproductive age to ensure the health of the mother-to-be and the child they may be carrying, there are just as many reasons why a woman might not want a doctor or pharmacy to confirm her pregnancy. Here are some of those reasons:

• it’s hard to imagine, but perhaps there is no money for a pharmacy or there is no opportunity for some reason to visit a free antenatal clinic (for example, on vacation in another country), but there is no money for a private doctor. Or in the rural outback, where the medical assistant's station is located several kilometers away. Meanwhile, folk pregnancy tests cost almost nothing, and everything you need is at hand.
• the child's father does not intend to continue the relationship, which may be a matter of inconvenience or embarrassment, or there may be other reasons for secrecy. No one but her should guess about her condition.
• for some, perhaps religious reasons, she is a supporter of natural childbirth and seeks to minimize her contacts with doctors. Home pregnancy tests rely on the same indicators used by doctors and pharmacists, but do not require their involvement.
• waiting for modern help can become unbearable, and folk pregnancy tests are always available at any time of the day or night.

The role of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in a homemade pregnancy test

Pregnancy tests used by doctors or sold in pharmacies detect the presence of the hCG hormone in a woman's urine. This hormone is produced by cells involved in the formation of the placenta, which protects and nourishes the fertilized egg after it attaches to the uterine wall. Homemade pregnancy tests - with the exception of the earliest, based on the observation of natural physical signs of pregnancy - also try to detect hCG in a woman's urine.

Therefore, the most reliable home methods for determining pregnancy include not only observing natural signs, but also homemade hCG detectors: a bleach pregnancy test, a sugar pregnancy test, a toothpaste pregnancy test, and many other methods.

Natural signs of pregnancy

Perhaps the earliest home pregnancy test was one that is still in use today in the 21st century. Pregnant women undergo physical changes even at the initial stage. And these changes allow them, already in the early phase, to make assumptions about themselves that they will have a child.

The first and most obvious sign is a slow or apparently absent period of menstruation. A woman who has recently become pregnant may also develop body temperature and sweat, as well as breasts and nipples may swell and become more sensitive. Increased frequency of urination and regular nausea, known as "morning sickness", complete the list of telltale signs of pregnancy. And for any woman who finds herself with such symptoms, a homemade pregnancy test is enough to confirm her almost complete certainty of her pregnancy.

However, not all pregnant women may have the above natural signs of pregnancy. Some women may not have all of these signs at all, and may even continue to have light menstrual bleeding, confusing them about their pregnancy. For such women, a homemade hCG indicator may be the only hint of their pregnancy.

Folk toothpaste pregnancy test

Next on the list of tests for pregnancy is coming toothpaste. For the test, you will need a simple white paste, and not fashion gel or paste in colored stripe. On contact with urine as an indicator of pregnancy, 2 things can happen: the color of the paste may change to a pale blue, or the paste may start to foam. Any of these reactions can be taken as a positive sign of pregnancy. Unfortunately, there is no exact information about how much paste and urine to use and how long to wait for a reaction. An additional disadvantage is that the paste starts to foam anyway if it is in contact with urine long enough, even if the test-taker is not pregnant. The potential for inconclusive results suggests that the toothpaste test should only be used as a backup to other pregnancy tests.

Folk pregnancy test with urine and bleach

Common household bleach is found in almost every home, waiting on the linen shelf or under the kitchen sink when it's time to bleach clothes, remove stains, or disinfect. But this cheap remedy has another useful property - they can determine the presence of pregnancy at home. To do this, you just need to pour a little bleach into a plastic cup and add a sample of the test urine there. Then you need to follow how the chemical reaction of the mixture of urine and bleach occurs. If the mixture foams and hisses, there is a high probability of pregnancy, and if the mixture is calm, then there is no pregnancy.

The problem with a bleach pregnancy test is the same as with all homemade tests: it is not known exactly how much bleach is needed, but how much urine (you can take in a ratio of 50 to 50%), and how long you need to wait for a chemical reaction, and what is its duration . In addition, you need to remember that bleach is a potentially hazardous substance. Therefore, to be safe, wear rubber gloves and take the cup of bleach outdoors before adding urine to it to avoid the harmful effects of the fumes generated by the chemical reaction in an enclosed space.

Sugar folk pregnancy test at home

Sugar is another cheap and common element of our everyday life. It can also be used as a home express pregnancy test. Put a few full tablespoons of sugar in a bowl and pour your urine into it, or urinate directly on the granulated sugar. Then you need to see if lumps of sugar have formed in the bowl. If granulated sugar has strayed into lumps, this is a sign of a probable pregnancy. If the sugar dissolves evenly without the formation of lumps, then there is probably no pregnancy.

All home urine pregnancy tests, including the sugar pregnancy test, are best done in the morning when you wake up when the urine is more concentrated. If there is no time for this in the morning, then it is best to save the first urine of the new day in an airtight jar and return to the tests when it is convenient.

Homemade dandelion pregnancy test

The dandelion leaves in this pregnancy test testify eloquently to its ancient origins, when people were in greater contact with nature and wielded the secrets of herbs. However, dandelion is still a ubiquitous weed that can be found everywhere except perhaps in carefully manicured gardens. Shade-growing dandelion leaves are best suited for this procedure, as exposure to direct sunlight can significantly reduce the effectiveness of pregnancy testing. Even after the leaves are plucked, they should continue to be protected from direct sunlight.

Put the dandelion leaves in a plastic container and add enough early morning urine to get the leaves wet. Leave the soaked leaves for 10 minutes, after which you can begin to identify signs of pregnancy: the presence of reddish swellings on the leaves. Such blisters on the leaves are an obvious sign of pregnancy. If there are no conspicuous blisters on the leaves, keep checking every 10 minutes until you are sure the leaves are not going to react to the urine. If, as a result, the leaves are not covered with such swellings, then pregnancy has not occurred.

Pregnancy test and vinegar

Colorless vinegar is probably the cheapest option for a homemade pregnancy test if the price of the test is the main factor. The test is simple - you need to pour morning urine into a cup of white vinegar. A change in color will be an indicator of a positive pregnancy test. Again, trial and error will help determine the appropriate ratio of vinegar to urine, as well as the length of time to wait for the color change.

Advantages of homemade pregnancy tests

Pregnancy tests that can be done at home are cheap and readily available. You probably don't even have to leave the house, because everything you need is already in your closet, pantry, or, at the farthest, in your garden. You don't have to follow complicated instructions. It is enough to follow simple recommendations to make a homemade pregnancy test that uses the same achievements of fundamental science that are in service with doctors and pharmacists.

Disadvantages of homemade pregnancy tests

All of these home pregnancy tests have one thing in common: the lack of scientific research to support their effectiveness. But do not go too far and refuse them, considering them grandmother's tales. Since they still have some scientific basis, since they react to the presence of hCG in the urine, just like pharmacy tests.

Few homemade pregnancy tests give specific indications of the amount of urine and reagent required, or the time that must elapse before a positive or negative test can be concluded. In addition, indications of foaming, clumping, blistering, and discoloration are frustratingly vague. Sometimes it seems that it is necessary to conduct all of these tests in a row so that it can be unequivocally concluded that there is or is no pregnancy.

It is also a fact that homemade pregnancy tests are not as effective at the beginning of a pregnancy cycle as drugstore tests produced by pharmaceutical companies. Homemade pregnancy tests rely only on the interaction of urine with other substances acting as reagents. Whereas some medical tests can detect hCG in a blood sample as early as 11 days after conception, and in urine 12 to 14 days after conception. People's pregnancy tests usually do not work if they are taken earlier than six days before the start date of the next menstrual cycle.

Choice Advantage

Ultimately modern women should be grateful that they don't have to rely on the rather inaccurate pregnancy testing methods used by their ancestors. And while our ancestors didn't have toothpaste, bleach, or refined sugar, they certainly had other alternatives at their disposal, which have since disappeared, while dandelion and vinegar have come down to us.

The vast majority of women today have the luxury of choice, which allows them to feel connected to the past and perhaps for fun, experience homemade past pregnancy tests that were the only thing their great-grandmothers could rely on to determine conception. Then they can pick up the phone and make an appointment with the doctor or go to the nearest pharmacy around the corner to get a really accurate assessment of their condition.

Although home or homemade pregnancy tests can sometimes indicate with sufficient accuracy whether a woman is pregnant or not, they are not a complete replacement for prenatal antenatal care, which is simply necessary for the birth of a healthy baby, as well as to ensure mother's health. While having fun with folk pregnancy tests, don't neglect today's highly intelligent pregnancy tests that tell you to take advantage of all the available benefits that modern medicine has to offer. A modern pharmacy offers the following accurate pregnancy tests with detailed, unambiguous instructions, both Russian and imported:

• "Strip tests" (strips for lowering into a container with urine);
• "Tablet" tests (a device with a window where to add a few drops of urine);
• "Jet" tests (devices that can be substituted directly under the stream of urine);
• "Electronic" (digital) tests of a new generation, including reusable ones (among them you can find a pregnancy test showing the term, for example, "ClearBlue").

The price of non-electronic pregnancy tests is about 100 - 300 rubles, a digital pregnancy test costs about 1000 rubles. In general, the diagnosis of pregnancy has never been so accurate and accessible.