Embracing motherhood is a unique emotion beyond words. Gone are the days when women would wait for myriad pregnancy symptoms to gain an inkling of the pregnancy. In the modern era, modern women believe in adopting a proactive approach by taking a pregnancy test rather than waiting for symptoms to get developed, encompassing morning sickness, fatigue, and missing the period.
What Is the Salt Pregnancy Test?
One of the prevalent DIY pregnancy tests, the salt test pregnancy test, has been witnessing an upward swing in the context of popularity. However, there is no denial of the fact that the pregnancy test with salt is one of the fastest and easiest tests to get a quick clarity regarding the possibility of the pregnancy.
A pregnancy test with salt requires basic ingredients, including morning urine and salt. All you need to do is mix your morning urine and salt in a clean bowl and then wait for a few minutes. If a mixture changes its appearance and turns milky or contains foam, the pregnancy test result with salt is positive. If there is no change in the colour, it suggests no possibility of pregnancy.
Does It Work?
Getting a pregnancy test done is a prudent decision to keep any confusion and contingency at bay. If you are in the quest for alternatives to a bit pricier over-the-counter pregnancy test, then trying a homemade version in the form of a salt pregnancy test is an ideal option. However, no precise scientific explanation exists related to decoding how pregnancy tests with salt work.
Also, there is no convincing evidence backing the theory related to the hCG and salt reaction. Interestingly, before the advent of modern pregnancy tests available over the counter, not all women would use home-based salt pregnancy tests much to get an idea about pregnancy, let alone talk about the reliability of this test. Therefore, the accuracy related to pregnancy tests with salt is probable.
What Do You Need to Do for the Test?
Things that you will need to do the pregnancy salt test include:
- One tiny, non-porous and clean bowl to collect your morning urine.
- One tiny, non-porous and clean bowl to mix salt and urine.
- 1 tbsp of table salt
Most importantly, the salt variety has to be common. In common words, salt varieties should not belong to exclusive varieties like kosher salt and pink Himalayan sea salt.
How to Do the Test?
Salt pregnancy test is one of the easiest DIY pregnancy tests in the context of ingredients involved and procedure. Here learn a step-by-step process of a pregnancy test with salt:-
- Put 1 tbsp of common salt in a clear bowl.
- Collect a tiny amount of first-morning pee in the other bowl.
- Mix morning urine and salt in a clean bowl
- Wait for a few minutes.
When Should You Take the Salt Pregnancy Test?
To increase the chances of the accuracy of the salt pregnancy test, it is recommended to take the test in the morning because that is the time when the concentration of hCG is highest in the urine. However, it is always prudent to confirm a pregnancy test result with salt by taking an over-the-counter pregnancy test, especially if the result indicates a possibility of pregnancy.
How to Read the Results?
Reading the test result of the salt pregnancy test is no rocket science. Here learn about how to read the positive and negative results:-
1. What Does a Positive Test Result Look Like?
In salt pregnancy test positive results, urine turns “cheesy” or “milky” after getting mixed with salt, indicating the possibility of pregnancy. It is the hormone named “human chorionic gonadotropin” present in urine post the implantation of the embryo in the uterus that reacts with salt. This is indeed the main reason for the change of colour, indicating the possibility of pregnancy.
Wondering how this hormone gets produced. Well, the embryo gets attached to the uterine wall after a woman conceives. When a placenta gets formed, it releases this specific hormone called hCG. This hormone enters the urine and also the bloodstream.
2. What Does a Negative Look Like?
If the appearance of the mixture comprising salt and morning urine does not change, it indicates the non-possibility of the pregnancy.
How Accurate Is the Salt Pregnancy Test?
As far as result accuracy related to the salt pregnancy test is concerned, there lies a difference of opinions between the bloggers and the medical experts. While the bloggers say that this pregnancy test with salt is effective, medical experts do not support the reliability of this test due to the lack of any scientific backing.
In fact, as per the opinion of the medical experts, none of the DIY pregnancy tests is completely accurate. Those who claimed the accuracy of DIY pregnancy tests were probably just fortunate. There is always a probability of 50/50 in terms of DIY pregnancy tests. Therefore, it is better to rely on a tried and tested modern method to confirm the test result of the salt pregnancy test.
Also Read: How to Use Prega News Home Pregnancy Test? - Bodywise
Other Alternatives Ways to Check Pregnancy
Many alternatives to pregnancy tests with salt are available.
1. DIY Pregnancy Test
They encompass sugar pregnancy tests, mustard pregnancy tests, wine pregnancy tests, toothpaste pregnancy tests, bleach pregnancy tests, and more. As far as accuracy-related to these DIY tests is concerned, scientific research does not support the reliability.
Interestingly, all these DIY tests follow one common principle of detecting the level of hCG hormone present in urine. No matter what ingredient you use for the DIY test, it is expected to react with this hormone in the case of the possibility of pregnancy, as study shows.
2. Strip-based Pregnancy Test
If affordability is a major concern, then one can always opt for the strip-based pregnancy test that arrives in bulk packages. These alternative scores are high in the context of reliability. Also, one can conveniently order strip-based pregnancy tests from a drug store or online store.
There are many reasons that compel many modern women to opt for DIY pregnancy tests like pregnancy tests with salt. They include unplanned pregnancy where women do not intend others to know about it. Also, one of the major concerns related to over-the-counter pregnancy tests in the context of unplanned pregnancy is the disposal of a strip or a kit. This concern does not exist in the case of the home-based pregnancy test. Again, home-based tests, including pregnancy salt tests, take the lead over-the-counter pregnancy test kits when it comes to cost-effectiveness.
When to See a Doctor?
Getting pregnant is not a medical emergency, and therefore one does not require seeing a doctor immediately after the test. It is generally at the end of the first trimester when one might need to see the doctor. Here are a few medical urgencies where a woman needs to see a doctor:-
- In case of bleeding, post a positive pregnancy test
- In case of intense stomach pain
- In case of a situation demanding to maintain secrecy
- In case of wanting to opt for an abortion
There is no harm in trying a salt pregnancy test at home as it is an easy, natural process and is free. However, relying on salt pregnancy tests alone in the modern time when there are available thoroughly reliable alternatives may appear an imprudent decision.
Also Read: Toothpaste Pregnancy Tests: Does This DIY Tests Really Work?
Summing Up on Pregnancy Test With Salt
Buying a pregnancy test from a medical store or online is a preferred option these days to test pregnancy. As far as home pregnancy tests like salt pregnancy tests or any other DIY test is concerned being a non-medical method, they score low on reliability.
During ancient times, when advanced pregnancy kits were unavailable, women who would think of testing the pregnancy possibility had no option but to opt for a home-based pregnancy test. Nevertheless, with this DIY salt test pregnancy, you can try satiating your curiosity about the possibility of pregnancy. Still, it is always prudent to rely on over-the-counter store tests to get accurate clarity.
References
- Tim I. M. Korevaar, Eric A. P. Steegers, Yolanda B. de Rijke, May 2015; Reference ranges and determinants of total hCG levels during pregnancy: the Generation R Study - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4584104/#:~:text=Various%20 types%20of%20 studies%20have,of%20immune%20 tolerance%20%5B4%5D.
- SC. Gnoth and S. Johnson, July 2014; strips of Hope: Accuracy of Home Pregnancy Tests and New Developments - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4119102/
