For centuries, humans have attempted to develop a way of determining whether or not a woman is pregnant. Even when one could probably tell that she is expecting from the symptoms such as missing periods, vomiting, or extreme fatigue, those symptoms may appear not soon enough or perhaps not at all.
Some still wanted to know if they were pregnant as early as possible. Besides confirming that a baby human is developing inside of you, finding out you’re pregnant allows you to take precautions and carry a healthy pregnancy.
Back then, detecting pregnancy was not as predictable and straightforward as the device we have in the modern world. Should you be testing for pregnancy during the 1970s, you might be using the first home pregnancy test kit that looks a lot like a science kit. The set comes with a vial of purified water, an angled mirror, a test tube, and sheep red blood cells.
Imagine doing a pregnancy test, but feeling like you’re performing some laboratory experiment in your own house! It’s true that the home pregnancy test has been in the market for a little over five decades but believe it or not, various methods were available to detect pregnancy in ancient times.
So, how would they test for pregnancy before the arrival of the stick? It is fascinating to note that most of the techniques actually involved urine tests. This guide will share some of the methods that were used to find out if one was pregnant in the good old days.
9 Ancient Ways Pregnancy was Detected
Finding out if one is pregnant will always be useful for women of any generation, be it now, then, or even in the future. While we are enjoying the latest technological advancement, we should not forget the long journey of pregnancy test innovation to reach where we are today.
Let’s look at this compilation of bizarre and surreal pregnancy tests used throughout history, starting from Ancient Egypt!
The Wheat and Barley Test
Believed to be one of the oldest pregnancy tests known to humans, ancient Egyptian women would urinate daily on barley and wheat seeds to detect pregnancy. If the wheat sprouted, she was said to be pregnant with a girl; if the barley sprouted it’s supposed to be a boy. If neither grew, there was no pregnancy.
Predicting Pregnancy With ‘Pee Prophecy’
During the Middle Ages, ‘pee prophets’ were widely known in Europe to detect pregnancy by visually examining women’s urine. They are specialists who could read urine and tell whether a woman was pregnant or not based on the urine appearance. This could be somewhat similar to a ‘mak bidan‘ we have in Malaysia, but instead of reading your urine, a ‘mak bidan‘ will determine pregnancy through touching and examining your abdomen.
Garlic and Onion Test
This test, also from the Middle Ages, was probably a bit too extreme. It involved placing garlic or an onion near or even inserted into a woman’s private part and left overnight. If the next morning, the woman’s breath smells of garlic or onion, she’s not pregnant. However, if there’s no smell, the woman is pregnant because they believed the foetus would be blocking the smell from coming up.
The Wine + Urine Test
Another test involved mixing women’s urine with wine to check for any reaction. The woman is pregnant if the wine changed colour, and vice-versa. This makes sense because alcohol does react to proteins in the urine of pregnant women.
The Key or Latch Test
Sounds rather peculiar, but in this test, women who are thought to be pregnant will be asked to pee in a basin and place a key or a latch on the bottom of it. After about 3-4 hours, discard the urine and the metal. The woman is said to be pregnant if the outline of the key or latch remained in the basin.
The Oil + Urine Method
This unique pregnancy method is used as a natural way to check for pregnancy at home. What one has to do is add two drops of oil into the urine and observe what happens to the oil. If the two drops merge into one, then the tested woman is pregnant.
Changes in the Eyes
Back in the 16th century, a physician named Jacques Guillemeau came up with a theory where you could tell someone is pregnant by the look of the woman’s eyes. He said that ‘a pregnant woman gets deep-set eyes with small pupils, drooping lids and swollen veins in the corner of the eye’.
Look for the Chadwick’s Sign
Named after a French physician, James Read Chadwick, Chadwick’s sign is a pregnancy symptom that becomes evident around 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. This sign was observed by examining the colour change of a woman’s private part. The area down below will appear dark bluish or purplish due to the increased blood flow.
The ‘Rabbit Test’ To Identify Pregnancy Hormone
It was not until the 1920s that medical researchers were able to identify a hormone that was only found in pregnant women which is the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The first animal testing was known as the A-Z test or ‘rabbit test’ which involved injecting urine into rabbits, rats, and mice. Those animals were then put down and dissected to examine their ovaries. If large masses and growth were found on the animals’ ovaries, then the test is positive for pregnancy.
The ‘Frog Test’
Later on, in the 1940s, the ‘rabbit test’ was changed to African clawed frogs to conduct a more humane pregnancy test. The frogs were also injected with tested urine, but instead of being put down, the doctors would just observe the condition of the frogs. If the urine is from a pregnant woman, it would trigger ovulation and the frog will begin to produce eggs within 24 hours.
Even though all sort of methods has been carried out in the past to detect pregnancy, there were just not accurate and reliable enough. That is why the invention of the home pregnancy test kept on going even after the first stick became available.
Now, All You Need Is the Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test
Aren’t you lucky to be living in this era? Nowadays, when women suspect that they may be pregnant, they can just go to the pharmacy and grab a home pregnancy test kit like the Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test. You can even buy it online!
Since the discovery of hCG, all sorts of pregnancy tests have been developed to confirm a pregnancy. Thanks to science and technology, the test has evolved to be more accurate, simple, and most importantly comfortable for the users.
One of the best pregnancy tests in the market is the Digital Pregnancy Test by Clearblue which provides a much quicker and reliable digitalised result. You no longer have to wait until your period is late to test for pregnancy as Clearblue can test up to 4 days early.
The Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test is also convenient and easy to interpret, so you’ll know whether or not you are pregnant in no time. Instead of having to wait for lines to appear on the stick, the screen will give you a definite ‘pregnant’ or ‘not pregnant’ answer to your pregnancy status.
Accurate Result with Clearblue Conception Indicator
The question of “Am I pregnant?” is easily answered in today’s world. In just 3 minutes, the Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test will provide a pregnancy result with over 99% accuracy. If it says ‘pregnant’, odds are you have a baby growing in your womb.
But, that’s not all! Unlike ordinary pregnancy test sticks, Clearblue has elevated its pregnancy test design with a Conception Indicator for greater accuracy. The latest innovation will not only display the pregnancy result but also tell you the number of weeks since conception.
The Conception Indicator by Clearblue is the first and only test that is as accurate as an ultrasound scan at dating pregnancy. When you know how many weeks pregnant you are, you can better prepare yourself before going for that first check-up.
Such an astounding pregnancy test where you’ll know how far along you are just by using urine.
Rely On Clearblue to Confirm Your Pregnancy
Get the pregnancy result you can be confident in with Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test. It is not only super easy to use but also ultra-sensitive at detecting your pregnancy.
You can now purchase the Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test at Clearblue’s marketplace on Motherhood.com.my.
You may also schedule an appointment with KL Fertility to experience the clarity of Clearblue. Don’t hesitate further and get one today!
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