Homemade pregnancy tests: Do they work?

Maybe you don't have a pregnancy test in the house, or perhaps you're actively trying to conceive and it's getting expensive to constantly replenish your supply. Either way, you may be tempted to try one of the many tutorials for homemade pregnancy tests that abound online.

Although some people claim to have had success with DIY pregnancy tests – which can be made with household products such as salt, sugar, and baking soda – experts stress that homemade tests aren't reliable and shouldn't be used in place of legitimate, over-the-counter options. Here's what you need to know.

What's a homemade pregnancy test?

Over-the-counter pregnancy tests work by testing your urine for elevated levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. This hormone is produced during pregnancy and can be detected in a pregnant woman's blood and urine about 10 to 12 days after conception. The DIY tests also involve testing urine, but proponents suggest mixing together ingredients such as baking soda or vinegar to perform the test rather than peeing on a test strip.

The difference is that legitimate home pregnancy tests are highly accurate and designed to show with near-perfect certainty whether or not you're expecting. Homemade tests are unreliable, not backed by research, and can't give you real answers about what's going on in your body.

"I would not rely on a homemade test to diagnose pregnancy," says Layan Alrahmani, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn and maternal-fetal medicine specialist and a member of the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board.

If you're interested in making one of these tests just for fun, you could (but skip the bleach test – more on that below). But again, there's no evidence that they work, so don't let the results influence you. If you think you may be pregnant, take a real home pregnancy test.

DIY pregnancy tests

Here are some of the most common homemade pregnancy tests you may come across. Just keep in mind that none of these DIY pregnancy tests are proven to be reliable or recommended by experts.

• Baking soda: Proponents of the baking soda pregnancy test say you should mix equal parts urine and baking soda together. The theory is that the hCG in a pregnant woman's urine will make the mixture fizz and bubble after a few minutes, but there's no research to back this up.
• Salt: As with the baking soda test, the salt pregnancy test involves mixing equal parts urine and salt. This time, the salt is supposed to clump if you're pregnant. Again, there's no evidence to support this.
• Sugar: The sugar pregnancy test calls for equal parts sugar and urine in a cup – sounding familiar? If the mixture clumps, it's meant to indicate pregnancy. There's no evidence that this test works, either.
• Bleach: Like the tests above, the bleach pregnancy test requires equal parts urine and bleach. Warning: Don't try this test – it's dangerous to mix bleach with urine, which contains ammonia.
• Shampoo: Equal parts urine and shampoo are meant to bubble if a woman is pregnant (you shouldn't shake the mixture, proponents say, since that could cause bubbles to foam). Again, this isn't supported by any research.
• Toothpaste: In the toothpaste pregnancy test, advocates say a few drops of urine on white toothpaste should cause the mixture to foam. There's no evidence that this works, however.
• Vinegar: This mixture requires slightly more precise measurements: 1/2 cup of white vinegar mixed with 1 cup of urine to see if it bubbles or changes color. As with the other DIY tests, there's no research to support this.
• Wheat and barley: For thousands of years dating back to Ancient Egypt, women were instructed to pee on bags of barley and wheat to see if the grains sprouted, which would supposedly indicate pregnancy. Though the vast majority of homemade pregnancy tests have zero research to back them up, this one has been the subject of a few limited studies. Researchers found that this method successfully predicts pregnancy about 70 percent of the time. But while slightly more reliable than the other DIY options above, this still isn't anywhere close to the accuracy of an over-the-counter pregnancy test.

What to use instead of a homemade pregnancy test

If you've missed your period and are experiencing signs of early pregnancy – nausea, peeing a lot, and breast sensitivity, for example – your best bet is to take a legitimate home pregnancy test. Good pregnancy tests are widely available at pharmacies and online retailers. They're easy to use and highly accurate.

For best results, wait to test until the day you've missed your period and take it first thing in the morning. When you wake up, your urine is more concentrated, which makes it easier for the test to read your hCG levels. Follow the manufacturer's instructions exactly, too – that includes waiting the full amount of time (but not too long) before checking the strip!

If you're trying to save money, know that you don't have to shell out for the priciest name brands. All pregnancy tests are equally accurate if taken correctly and not expired, including cheap pregnancy tests such as generic brands and those from the dollar store. The expensive ones may just be easier to use or read.

It can be more affordable to purchase bulk packs of pregnancy test strips online rather than tests from the pharmacy. Also, many women's health clinics such as Planned Parenthood offer free or reduced-cost urine pregnancy tests.

When to see a doctor

As soon as you get a positive result on an over-the-counter home pregnancy test, make an appointment with your doctor, midwife, or a women's health clinic right away to confirm your pregnancy and start your prenatal care.

"It's important to properly diagnose a pregnancy in order to monitor your symptoms, get appropriate and timely care, and know when to stay away from risky behavior," says Dr. Alrahmani. Try to schedule your first prenatal visit as soon as you find out you're pregnant, though your provider may not see you until you're about 8 weeks pregnant.

If you keep testing negative but have missed your period and think you could be pregnant, schedule an appointment with your doctor or midwife. They can give you a blood test or an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy, and can also rule out any other possible causes for a missed or late period.