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Determining pregnancy with a DIY salt pregnancy test has been making rounds on the internet; especially on Pinterest and in the blogger community. Here are our two cents on the homemade pregnancy test with salt and its viability.
Without wasting much time and beating around the bush let us answer the question “do homemade pregnancy tests with salt work” in one word: No. While there may be a lot of YouTube videos and vlogs about how to do the DIY pregnancy test with salt at home, unfortunately, the efficacy and the accuracy of this test are rather poor.
Let us tell you why.
How To Do The Salt Pregnancy Test/ Pregnancy Test With Salt?
If you have arrived at this article, most likely, you must also want to know how to do the pregnancy test with salt. Here’s how:
- In order for this test to work, you need only need salt and urine
- Take salt (1-2 tablespoons) and a urine sample. When you have urine and salt in one place, you’re supposed to mix both in a clear, clean bowl
- Leave the mix and wait for some time
- If the mix becomes ‘milky’ or ‘cheesy,’ you’re supposed to be pregnant
- The acclaimed logic behind this is that salt reacts with hCG or the human chorionic gonadotropin or the ‘pregnancy hormone,’ giving it a milky or cheesy consistency
- If the mixture doesn’t become cheesy or milky, or In other words, does not change its consistency, you are not pregnant
- It must be noted that drugstore pregnancy tests detect the same hormone (hCG) to determine pregnancy
- A pregnancy test with salt just like a regular pregnancy test is also supposed to be mixed with morning urine
How Does The Salt Pregnancy Test Work?
It must be understood that while some people may believe that the hCG in urine reacts with salt giving it a curdling/milky/cheesy consistency and hence proving you are pregnant or vice-versa, there is no scientific backing to prove this method works.
There’s no scientific explanation for how salt pregnancy tests work. Fans of the test say that hCG will react with salt, causing the mixture to curdle or change the texture. But there’s zero evidence backing up that theory, and no reason why salt and hCG would cause this reaction. And since there is no reliable scientific evidence or explanation, it is recommended to always use a drugstore pregnancy test or visit your gynecologist and not rely on a home pregnancy test with salt.
What Is The Right Time To Take The Salt Pregnancy Test?
Mothers and believers of homemade pregnancy tests with salt believe that it is best to do this test with the first urine of the morning. This is because human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is supposed to be concentrated in the first urine. However, it must be understood that replacing a scientifically-backed drugstore pregnancy test with common salt may not be a very reliable idea.
Women widely are led to believe that pregnancy tests are very expensive but we have also curated a list of the best pregnancy tests to help you pick the best and a reliable test in your budget!
What Does A Pregnancy Test With Salt Look Like?
Those who believe in the operation and reliability of this test swear that a positive test will be curdled/cheesy/milky to look at. Some women on the internet have also reported that the urine just became ‘foamy’ and there is still no common agreement as to what that means!
What Does A Negative Salt Pregnancy Test Look Like?
For a slat pregnancy test for pregnancy to be identified as ‘negative,’ the mixture should not appear ‘curdled,’ or ‘milky,’ or ‘cheesy’ and would just appear like a simple bowl of urine with slats mixed into it. Needless to say, the reading of the test can also vary from person to person, and depending on how long one leaves it/ how much salt does one mix and other similar factors. Owing to such a lack of uniformity or standardization on how to take a pregnancy test with salt, it is further advised to always opt for modern pregnancy tests found in drugstores.
What Are The Best Means To Test Pregnancy?
Over-the-counter pregnancy tests on the first day of a missed period are the best way to test your pregnancy at home. However again, it must be noticed that even such tests are only 99% accurate and so, the 100% accurate or reliable way of determining pregnancy is by visiting a gynecologist and getting an ultrasound or a professional urine test done.
It must be noted that home pregnancy testing kits are sensitive to high hCG in urine and detects the presence of it to provide results. What are your thoughts on the pregnancy test with salt? Let us know in the comments section below!
