Dear hopeful moms-to-be, in today’s myth-busting, and along the same lines as the homemade bleach pregnancy tests and boiling urine, the vinegar pregnancy test, Pine-Sol test, and Coca-Cola test have flooded the world of those trying to conceive with doubts. But do these vinegar, disinfectant, or soda pregnancy tests really work? Aren’t they a myth?
In another post, we talked about the homemade pregnancy tests that many women use when they suspect they are pregnant. These tests use the woman’s urine together with some chemical substance, such as chlorine.
Important: homemade pregnancy tests have no validity for confirming pregnancy. To confirm pregnancy, you need to take a beta hCG blood test or a pharmacy pregnancy test.
The homemade pregnancy test consists of mixing a portion of urine with an equal part of chlorine and watching to see if the color changes and it foams like beer, which would be a positive result. In the same idea, the vinegar pregnancy test appeared to spruce up (or not) the superstitions of those trying to get pregnant. Let’s see how these tests are done:
How To Do Homemade Pregnancy Tests
At the request of our readers, we’ll show you how to perform the best-known homemade pregnancy tests. None of them is considered an “unfailingly accurate homemade pregnancy test,” but they can be a fun diversion.
Vinegar Pregnancy Test
- 1 clear plastic (party) cup
- 1 wooden stick (popsicle)
- Urine
- 2 dessert spoons of vinegar
To do the test, you will need a disposable plastic cup, a wooden stick or disposable spoon, two dessert spoons of vinegar, and fresh urine.
Urine should be placed in the cup, followed by the vinegar. Then mix the contents with the stick or spoon to observe the result. If the urine foams and changes color, the result indicates positive.
Pine-Sol Pregnancy Test
With the same purpose and the same principle as the vinegar pregnancy test, the Pine-Sol test may react if the woman is pregnant and cause the urine to change color.
If no change occurs, then the result is considered negative.
Coca-Cola Pregnancy Test
In a cup, combine two parts: one part urine and the other part Coca-Cola (cold, not iced, still fizzy). If the Coca-Cola bubbles like boiling water or foams like beer the test would be positive. If nothing happens, then the test would be negative.
Toothpaste Pregnancy Test
Place a good amount of urine in a small container with a tight lid and add a small amount of white toothpaste. Colored toothpaste does not work as it could alter the test result. If the urine changes color and turns blue or blue-green then the result is positive. If the urine turns milky white or just foams a lot, then the toothpaste pregnancy test would be negative.
Chili Pepper Pregnancy Test
Known as ‘dedo de moça’ in Brazil, the red chili must be fresh and cut in four to remove the seeds. Then, it should be dipped in urine for five minutes. If the chili opens completely, that’s a sign of a positive result, if it remains completely closed, it’s negative. If it opens only a little, it means there’s hormone present and the process should be repeated after a few days.
What every woman who is trying to conceive needs to know about these homemade tests, whether vinegar or others, is that they have no scientific proof of effectiveness, but are urban legends that may coincidentally work for one woman or another. They’re only for fun to alleviate anxiety and excitement during the post-ovulation wait.
The pregnancy test should be done using a pharmacy test or blood test.
The best tests are pharmacy tests and the Beta hCG blood test, which should be done after your missed period1. The effectiveness of pharmacy tests may even be higher than blood hCG tests due to their high sensitivity2. It doesn’t cost much to do one of these tests—they’re getting cheaper, about R$5 to 15 reais. Good luck with the little game and stay strong!
Readers’ Questions:
Is there any homemade pregnancy test that really works?
No homemade test, “game,” or folk remedy to find out if you’re pregnant can be considered reliable as a pregnancy test. The only way to confirm pregnancy is with a pharmacy test or, even better, a blood test.
See also: Does the Bleach Pregnancy Test Work?
