Do you know how to determine pregnancy without a test?

There are situations in women's lives when they need to find out about their interesting situation. This process cannot proceed asymptomatically and without leaving a trace. To do this, there are different ways to determine pregnancy, including options for how to find out that you are pregnant at home in the absence of a test. The answer to the question “How to determine pregnancy without a test?” is now known. This will be described in detail in our article.

Is it possible to determine pregnancy without a test, and at an early stage?

Is it possible to determine early pregnancy without a test and how can you tell whether you are pregnant or not?

The simplest pregnancy test is a home rapid test, which can be purchased at any pharmacy. But it is not always possible to use it (before menstruation is delayed, even the most highly accurate and sensitive test can show a false negative result), and in this case you need to know how to determine pregnancy without a test.

Our ancestors did not operate with such medical advances, but they learned to determine pregnancy at home. The results of these checks, like any other, must be confirmed by contacting a specialist.

What to do if your period is still far away, but doubts gnaw at you?

Signs of the appearance of an embryo in the womb may appear even before the delay of menstruation. If a woman is completely healthy, her body is in excellent condition, and her cycle is stable, pregnancy without a test is quite detectable.

Many women who have experienced pregnancy can easily determine their particular condition the next time without consulting a specialist or testing. Of course, if a girl is pregnant for the first time, this is more difficult to do, but it is also possible.

There are many indicators that allow you to determine early pregnancy without a test. It should be noted that such pregnancy rates are strictly individual and vary greatly for each woman.

Many of them may be signs of other diseases or poor health, but if you feel several of these symptoms together, and there were certain preconditions for certain premonitions, you should contact a competent specialist.

• Breast enlargement . Signs of lactation are an increase in breast size, variations in the color and size of the nipples, accompanied by unpleasant sensations. Of course, similar changes can occur just a few days before menstruation, so determining pregnancy without a test at home is not the most accurate method.
• Dizziness . The initial stage of pregnancy is often accompanied by a feeling of slight dizziness and unclear consciousness. The so-called “fog in the head”, a feeling of unreality of what is happening. Such symptoms can also be a sign of stress and overwork, so if you rested, slept, and nothing changed, it’s time to think about a possible increase.
• Nasal congestion . If there are no other signs of a cold, and your nose still does not breathe for a long time, you should think about pregnancy. Halfway through pregnancy, a number of women often experience nasal congestion. This is due to an increase in blood flow and increased blood supply to all organs, as a result of which the mucous membranes swell and for a long time interfere with productive rest, depriving them of proper sleep.
• Increase in body temperature to 37–37.5 °C . An increase and constant body temperature at 37–37.5 °C over a long period of time is a clear symptom of the onset of pregnancy. The embryo is in the developmental stage in the fallopian tubes and, before its implantation into the walls of the uterus, is recognized by the female body as a foreign object. This forces the immune system to work to protect the body, as a result of which the body temperature rises. If the possibility of inflammatory and viral diseases is excluded, there is a possibility that we are talking about pregnancy.
• Nausea . Toxicosis in the early stages of pregnancy is often accompanied by morning sickness and vomiting. Not all women experience such feelings during pregnancy, but a certain percentage do not avoid these unpleasant sensations. If the possibility of food poisoning is rejected, this is a signal of possible conception.
• Pain and feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen , in the navel area. When the embryo leaves the fallopian tubes and the process of its implantation into the walls of the uterus begins, the woman experiences little pleasant - nagging pain in the lower abdomen or navel area, tingling and deterioration in general physical condition. If, with such symptoms, there is a small amount of bloody discharge, and the period of menstruation has not yet approached, you should urgently consult a specialist. Bloody discharge, if pregnancy is confirmed, is an alarming signal.
• Weight gain . Sometimes in the early stages there is a slight increase in weight - this may be due to an improvement in appetite, a larger than usual amount of food consumed, fluid retention in the tissues or swelling. It is necessary to pay attention to the possible conception of the fetus.
• Heightened senses - smell, taste buds, vision, hearing. Sudden visual acuity, improved sense of smell, increased or changed taste - all this can be a sign of pregnancy. Maternal instinct provokes the improvement of these qualities for better protection of the soon-to-be offspring. This is one of the main signals about conception, explaining how to determine pregnancy without tests.
• Inconsistency of emotions . Sudden tears, unexpected laughter, strange mood swings, increased or decreased sexual desire - pregnant women often experience such sensitivity. Due to hormonal changes, constant mood swings occur, which may indicate pregnancy. Unless there are other reasons related to depression or PMS.
• Age spots and papillomas . Freckles and spots appear on the body. The appearance of these signs occurs in later stages of pregnancy due to hormonal changes that occur in the body of a pregnant woman, so you should not judge the beginning of pregnancy if a couple of spots appear on the body.
• Drowsiness and feeling of fatigue . Such sensations may indicate chronic fatigue or constant stress. But if this is excluded, it is worth thinking about the possible conception of a child. Women in the early stages of pregnancy often get tired quickly, they are constantly sleepy due to the large waste of energy preparing the body for bearing a baby.
• Frequent urination . A constant urge to have a small bowel movement indicates an enlarged uterus, which puts pressure, including on the bladder. However, this does not happen in the initial stages of pregnancy, because the uterus has not yet begun to grow. But still, at the beginning of pregnancy, many women experience a frequent desire to urinate. This may also be a signal of any inflammatory and infectious processes in the genitourinary system. In this case, you should seek help from a doctor.
• The amount of vaginal discharge may increase . If they do not have an unpleasant odor and are transparent, this is another symptom of pregnancy.

We also recommend reading: Itchy belly during pregnancy

How did you find out about the fact of conception before, without doctors?

In the old days, people relied on medicine that was unconventional by modern standards. Traditional pregnancy tests in the early stages allow you to determine pregnancy at home even before detecting a delay in menstruation. These include:

• State of urine. It needs to be boiled in a metal container and then poured into a glass one. Wait and if a white precipitate appears, the result is positive.
• Potassium permanganate. Dilute several manganese crystals in 500 milliliters of water and pour in 50 grams of urine; if the color does not change and flakes form, conception has occurred.
• Ring. It was hung from the girl's hair above her stomach. The immobility of an element was regarded as a negative sign, mobility – on the contrary.
• Dreams. If you dream about water or fish, it means pregnancy.
• Wine. A wine drink was added to the morning urine (ratio 1:1) and the reaction was observed. If the cocktail remained transparent, fertilization was successful.
• Taste. Cravings for salty foods - the diagnosis is clear. This theory has a scientific explanation (the water-salt balance changes, which is accompanied by a lack of certain microelements, and the body tries to compensate for this with salty foods).

The listed mechanisms can help determine pregnancy at home without a test, but they are already quite outdated, although they often show the correct result. Everything old is replaced by something new.

Is it possible to determine pregnancy before a delay without a test?

Sometimes, the woman herself knows how to determine pregnancy without additional methods. She feels her new state at the level of instincts, listens to her body and analyzes the signs and signals that it sends. By what signs of the state of the body can pregnancy be determined?

Craving salty foods during pregnancy has a scientific basis

Signs to check pregnancy at home

The very first signs of pregnancy, without a test, which give reason to take a closer look at your body and well-being, appear 7-10 days after ovulation (the process of the release of an egg from the follicle of one of the ovaries). They can be manifested by the following sensations:

• changes in appetite, the emergence of preferences that were not there before;
• heightened sense of smell;
• nausea and vomiting (most often occurs in the morning and can last for several hours);
• dizziness (the head may feel dizzy after conception due to changes in hormonal levels, the symptom is complemented by a feeling of foggy consciousness);
• emotional instability (sharp mood swings) and even touchiness, tearfulness;
• disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (bloating, constipation, heartburn);
• enlargement and tenderness of the mammary glands (similar sensations accompany many women before menstruation, so they must be taken into account if there are accompanying symptoms);
• small pimples on the face, chest and back (due to the production of progesterone, which is necessary for the attachment of the fertilized egg to the wall of the uterus and its subsequent development);
• changes in metabolism (deposition of subcutaneous fat, especially in the abdomen and thighs; thus, the body tries to protect the fetus by providing it with a soft fat pad).

These signs are presumptive (doubtful) and play a role in determining pregnancy in the early stages, but are not a reason to contact a gynecologist. They should only be considered if more reliable ones are available.

How pregnancy begins

Pregnancy occurs immediately after conception. However, conception can only become possible if the woman’s body undergoes ovulation.

Ovulation in a woman

Ovulation is the process in which a mature new egg is released from the ovary into the fallopian tube. In women, ovulation occurs approximately 14 days before the next period. The egg lives 12-36 hours after it is released from the ovary.

From a physiological point of view, it can be said with absolute certainty that conception is possible only during the period of ovulation, which lasts in a woman’s body for only up to 36 hours. Taking into account the preservation of sperm viability for up to several days, 2-3 days before and 2-3 days after ovulation are considered favorable for conception.

On other days, the probability of conception is no higher than 15%. Exceptions may be an irregular cycle, as a result, floating ovulation, or a rare phenomenon - double ovulation.

Beginning of pregnancy

Fertilization occurs directly in the fallopian tube, where one in a billion sperm fuses with the egg.
In the first few hours after conception, an already fertilized egg begins to divide on its way to the uterus, so every hour and day more and more new cells of the embryo appear. When a fertilized egg enters the uterus, it begins to attach to the endometrium, that is, implantation. Only after this are all the necessary chemical and physical reactions formed to begin pregnancy.

The entire process from conception to implantation takes from 7 to 12 days. Sperm can live in a woman's body for 6 to 7 days, but they can remain active for no more than 3 days.

How to understand that you are pregnant early?

Sexual desire increases during pregnancy

Possible signs can already tell more about a woman’s new condition. They appear somewhat later than the very first signs, but with their presence, it is much easier to determine pregnancy at home at an early stage and they more accurately show the overall picture. These include:

• more frequent urge to go to the toilet (under the influence of hormones), but it is important to exclude diseases of the genitourinary system;
• the appearance of pigmentation (for example, nipple halos darken, spots or papillomas form on the arms, shoulders and face, and a vertical dark line on the stomach);
• increased or increased libido (sexual desire);
• drowsiness and increased fatigue during normal exercise (low blood pressure, headache, may suffer from insomnia);
• change in the amount of vaginal discharge (becomes mucous and more abundant, thrush often appears due to changes in the microflora and a decrease in local immunity);
• after about a week, there may be a discharge streaked with blood (this is a sign that the implantation was successful);
• increased body temperature and chills (even up to 37.0 degrees Celsius and above);
• discomfort and tingling in the lower abdomen;
• runny nose, which is due to the fact that immunity is reduced so that the body does not reject the fertilized egg;
• delay of menstruation or its unusual course (scarcity or discrepancy with the number of days in the normal cycle).

These symptoms signal that changes have begun within the body. These factors help determine pregnancy. A combination of several of them, and sometimes all of them, provides grounds for contacting a doctor.

Determining pregnancy by your condition

Before the next menstruation, indirect signs of pregnancy may appear (pain and enlargement of the breasts, changes in mood and taste preferences, etc.).
You cannot rely on them with 100% certainty, since the same symptoms may occur before menstruation. And the delay itself will indicate the likely occurrence of pregnancy only if the woman is completely healthy and before that her body worked without the slightest disruption, and the cycle was always stable.

But still, let’s look at the symptoms that the surveyed girls in their position noted a few days before their expected menstruation. So, when pregnancy occurred, many experienced the following changes:

• worries about weakness in the body;
• pulling in the lower abdomen, colitis in the ovary area;
• breast swelling and tenderness;
• urination becomes more frequent (if this symptom is present, the development of cystitis must be excluded).

Some of the respondents did not have breast pain at all, although they were pregnant. Mostly women complained of weakness, drowsiness, and rapid fatigue. This is directly related to changes in hormonal levels. But even with chronic lack of sleep, frequent stress, and lack of rest, such well-being can also be observed outside of pregnancy. Therefore, this condition should not be taken as a sure sign of pregnancy.

It is also necessary to say about body temperature. Many pregnant women thought they had a cold because their temperature was 37 degrees Celsius. In general, this is normal body temperature during pregnancy. Therefore, if within 2 weeks after the expected conception there is a constant elevated temperature (37.0-37.4 degrees), then this phenomenon is often considered as the first symptom of successful conception. Doctors explain this condition by saying that during pregnancy, the level of progesterone in a woman’s body increases, which causes an increase in body temperature.

How to determine pregnancy without a test?

A woman's urine contains substances whose reactions may indicate pregnancy

Previously, folk signs on how to determine pregnancy at home were discussed. But there are also modern techniques. They make it possible, based on scientifically proven chemical reactions, to detect pregnancy without a test. It is advisable to consider each of these methods separately.

Application of iodine

You need to add a drop of iodine to your urine. How to find out if you are pregnant or not in this way? It’s simple: if it dissolves, the result is negative; if it remains on the surface, the result is positive. In this case, you need to drip from a short distance with a sterile pipette.

Urine test

You can also determine pregnancy without a urine test in the following way: lower a piece of paper into a container with liquid, then drop a reagent onto it, and if the drop transforms (takes on a purple or blue tint), this indicates the presence of pregnancy and does not require any other test . If the color is the same, then conception has not occurred.

Breast enlargement is one of the signs of pregnancy

Rules for collecting and using urine material: in the morning you need to toilet the genitals; The first and last few milliliters must be lowered into the toilet, the middle portion into a sterile container. Tests to determine pregnancy are carried out within the next 20 minutes after receiving the material.

Using Baking Soda

It should be taken into account that if a girl is pregnant, the acidity of the urine changes. You need to take a teaspoon of soda and add the test material to the morning portion: if the reagent settles to the bottom, the fetus is in the uterine cavity, if the liquid is bubbling, the acidity level is the same.

Basal temperature

This method can very accurately determine pregnancy at home if used correctly. This temperature value is the lowest of the day and is measured after sleep, without getting out of bed, in the mouth, rectum or vagina.

How to determine pregnancy using temperature measurements? During different periods of the menstrual cycle, indicators change. The increase is carried out a few days before and during ovulation (approximately the middle of the cycle).

An increase in basal temperature may also indicate that conception has occurred.

If there is no decrease before the expected menstruation, fertilization has passed. For a more accurate result, it is recommended to keep a temperature calendar during planning so that there is a real picture (each organism is individual and you need to know the characteristics of your own).

For an accurate result, you need to hold the mercury thermometer for at least 5 minutes in the oral cavity and for at least 3 minutes in the rectum or vagina.

Pulse

This technique will help you learn how to determine by touch, by looking at your stomach, whether you are pregnant or not. Due to increased blood supply to the pelvic organs during pregnancy, you can feel the pulsation two fingers below the navel.

Traditional methods of determining pregnancy

Before the advent of pregnancy tests and medical tests, our ancestors learned about the fact of conception using folk methods. These methods are not as reliable as modern diagnostics, however, they make it possible to suspect an interesting situation with a high degree of probability and consult a doctor in a timely manner.

Traditional methods for determining pregnancy.

1. A pregnancy test with soda is based on the acidity (pH) of a pregnant woman’s urine. In women, outside the period of gestation, urine has an acidic pH, and when conception occurs, the urine acquires an alkaline pH, which is associated with hormonal changes. To carry out the test, you need to collect your morning urine and add a teaspoon of baking soda to the container. In an acidic environment, soda will enter into a chemical reaction and cause the liquid to hiss - the likelihood of conception is low. In an alkaline environment, soda will settle to the bottom without reaction - the probability of conception is high. It must be taken into account that alkalization of urine occurs not only during pregnancy. The “calm” test is typical for vegetarians; it occurs with kidney failure, urinary tract infections, dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting.
2. Pregnancy test with iodine - based on the reaction of iodine with hCG contained in the urine of pregnant women. A sheet of paper, preferably litmus paper, must be moistened with morning urine. Then add 1-2 drops of iodine. The brown color of the spot indicates the absence of conception. A change in the color of the spot from brown to purple indicates pregnancy. Another way is to pour your morning urine into a saucer and add a drop of iodine. Dissolution of iodine - pregnancy is unlikely, the formation of a brown spot on the surface of the liquid - high probability of conception.

If you suspect pregnancy, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible to confirm the fact of conception and diagnose the health status of the expectant mother.

Are online tests true?

It is also possible to determine pregnancy using an online test. Many sites offer online tests like “How do I know if I’m pregnant?” and guarantee an error-free determination of pregnancy at home without a test, without leaving home.

You can take a free online pregnancy test

But is it possible to find out about pregnancy in this way without a test from a pharmacy? This online pregnancy test is based on the principle of analyzing probable and presumptive signs. A woman who is interested in whether pregnancy is developing answers questions, the system analyzes them according to a certain specified algorithm and displays the result on the screen (in most cases in percentage form).

With the same success, you can independently analyze all the signs and sensations and come to the conclusion about the presence of a fertilized egg in the uterine cavity or about its absence.

Determining pregnancy using a test

In order for the rapid test to determine pregnancy to give the most accurate result, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• inspect the packaging for damage;
• use only the test whose expiration date has not expired;
• prepare a clean and sterile container;
• It is best to examine the first morning urine;
• Before conducting the study, be sure to wash your hands and wipe them dry;
• the test strip is lowered into the urine to the specified level;
• then the test is laid out on a flat, dry surface (preferably on the bag in which the test was placed);
• within a few minutes the result will be visible.

The result must be assessed after 3-5 minutes. Some tests indicate that after 5 minutes the result cannot be reliably assessed. And on others, on the contrary, it is said that the result should be viewed in 10 minutes, but no later than 30 minutes after the test. So read the instructions before taking the test.

In any case, if the second strip is faintly visible, repeat the test after 2-3 days. If the second strip does not become brighter, then there is no pregnancy, and this is just a reagent. During pregnancy, the second stripe becomes brighter each time until it is equal in intensity to the control one.

Read more about how to use a pregnancy test here.

How to determine pregnancy without a test: false pregnancy symptoms

Sometimes the presence of certain suitable signs is not a reason to contact a gynecologist, since these may be influenced by external or internal factors not related to conception. For example, changes in the composition of urine can also be caused by infectious processes in the kidneys, diarrhea, or the predominance of vegetables in the diet, and not the first sign of pregnancy.

But the delay may be caused by:

• nervous tension or stress;
• a long, tiring road or a change in climatic conditions;
• diseases of the genitourinary system and other diseases;
• taking antibiotics and hormonal drugs;
• heavy physical activity (training, work);
• strict diet or sudden weight loss.

All this should be taken into account and excluded in order to prevent misdiagnosis in determining pregnancy.

Nerves and stress can cause a false sign of pregnancy - delay

Medical methods for diagnosing pregnancy

But the most reliable diagnostic methods are laboratory tests (determination of conception by blood). You can donate venous blood to:

• the presence of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) 6-7 days after the expected conception (this method is the most accurate and early);
• the content of trophoblastic gamma globulin (a protein that is a product of the synthesis of the membranes of the fertilized egg) on ​​the 10th day.

After 14 days, it is possible to carry out an ultrasound examination through the abdominal cavity or vaginally, and visualize the fetus in the uterine cavity, thus obtaining a reliable sign of pregnancy. But this will most likely happen after a delay in menstruation.

At about 5-7 weeks, the gynecologist will be able to feel through the enlarged uterus that there is a fertilized egg in the cavity.

Medical methods are the most reliable in detecting pregnancy

How do you know if you are pregnant? (video)

The above methods are almost all unreliable, so they will not help you determine on your own at home whether conception has occurred or not. And to obtain more accurate information, you will have to take additional tests.

The most reliable way to determine pregnancy before a delay is to donate blood for hCG. This is explained in more detail in the following video:

Modern private laboratories can determine pregnancy several days before the expected menstruation. You just need to donate venous blood and pay for the test.