How to Tell if You’re Pregnant Without a Test: 5 Simple Ways

Diagnostics of pregnancy are often based upon the changes in the state of health a woman experiences. At first, she is just suspicious, and then the suspicions are proved true by the appearance of the typical features which usually accompany pregnancy. In particular cases, it’s not possible for a woman to know for sure if she is pregnant with the help of express tests, hormonal tests, or doctor’s examination, so many women are interested in ways how to tell if you’re pregnant without a test at home during the early pregnancy stages.

The ways to know if you’re pregnant by the early symptoms or with the help of traditional methods don’t guarantee complete accuracy and exact results, but they can help to make a decision if you have to visit a health professional.

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Traditional Methods: How to Tell if You’re Pregnant without a Test at Home During the Early Pregnancy Stages

Clinical tests and express pregnancy tests are standard procedures to detect pregnancy, but some traditional methods based on years of observations of women all over the world have gained well-earned popularity and credibility. They rely on the chemical reaction of the elements contained in urine to active substances added to it. These methods make out some sort of homemade express pregnancy tests with the help of improvised means.

  • How to Tell if You’re Pregnant without a Test – Baking Soda: There are changes in the chemical composition and acid-alkaline balance of urine during pregnancy. After you add some baking soda into a clean container with urine the soda will start bubbling and sizzling as a result of a chemical reaction. Such a reaction indicates that you’re not pregnant. If the conception has happened the soda will precipitate as white sediment on the bottom of the container.
  • Iodine Application: The main principle of this method is similar to the first one. Add a drop of iodine to the urine collected in a small container. If the drop is floating on the surface as a whole and doesn’t split into minor parts during the first few seconds you can suspect pregnancy. If the iodine has disintegrated immediately and never stopped on the surface the conception didn’t happen.
  • Feel the Pulsation in Your Lower Abdomen: The female body goes through considerable changes related to the increased blood supply to the internal organs during pregnancy. According to this fact, the blood flow to the uterus and the fallopian tubes increases in volume because there the development of an embryo in the early stages is going on. That’s why you might be able to tell if you’re pregnant without a test during the first few days after the conception if you measure your heartbeat on your abdomen in the navel area about two fingers lower from your belly button. You’ll have to place your fingers on your belly and feel the pulse. Pregnant women have increased blood flow in the area, so the heartbeat is rapid and easily found.
  • For the Record: traditional methods of finding out if you’re pregnant don’t guarantee 100% accurate results, they don’t have any scientific explanation or medical proof.

Traditional methods are still used in some cases because they are simple and provide you with a quick result – you don’t even have to leave home. They won’t do your health any harm, but they also are not crucial for detecting pregnancy. The application of traditional means has mostly a psychological effect before getting final results.

How to Tell if You’re Pregnant without a Test – Fertile Phase Measurements

During the process of pregnancy planning, the method of basal temperature measurements is recommended by professional gynecologists as one of the most credible and evident. After comparing the temperature measurements on different days of your menstrual cycle you will be able to draw a conclusion about a woman’s state of health and fertility. To understand how to tell if you’re pregnant without a test using this means you should follow the subsequent recommendations. Prepare for taking basal temperature measurements in advance. If you don’t observe a number of rules the results will be inaccurate.

  • In the evening before going to bed lay on the bedside table a watch, a thermometer, a notebook where you’ll write down the measurements, a pen. This is necessary so that you could measure your basal temperature immediately after waking up in the morning and before getting out of bed (it’s also recommended not to change your body position). The less movement you make after waking up the more exact will be the measurement.
  • Write down the day of your menstrual cycle when you’ve started to take basal temperature measurements. The results you’re getting depend on which day it is, and in the case of deviation of the results from the standard, you’ll be able to tell whether you’re pregnant or not.
  • You’d better abstain from drinking or eating fruit before going to sleep because you can miss your morning basal temperature measurement in order to go to the bathroom.
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How to Tell if You’re Pregnant without a Test with Basal Temperature Measurements

Basal temperature measurements won’t provide you with an immediate answer to the question “Am I pregnant?” To make out a complete chart that portrays the state of a female organism you’ll need to take measurements regularly during a few days.

  1. Basal temperature is taken by inserting a thermometer into the vagina or rectum. You should conduct the procedure every morning after waking up, if possible – at the same time. You shouldn’t get up until the temperature is measured – your temperature immediately changes when you get out of bed and makes it impossible for you to get accurate measurements.
  2. Try not to change the position while measuring your basal temperature. The results will be more accurate if you keep the position you’ve been sleeping in.
  3. The daily measurement usually takes 5-8 minutes, lie still. After taking the measurement write it down into a notebook immediately, as well as the date and time of the measurement.
  4. It’s recommended to abstain from alcohol and cigarettes during the whole period of time you’re taking daily measurements.
  5. In the beginning of your menstrual cycle, your basal temperature should be about 96.8°F; before the ovulation it begins to increase to about 98.6°F. If the conception hasn’t happened, your basal temperature decreases to an average level of 96.8-96.9°F after the ovulation. If you’re pregnant your basal temperature won’t drop.

Important! The basal temperature measurements are exact and credible if all the rules of conducting the procedure have been observed and there are no inflammation processes in the pelvic area.

How to Tell if You’re Pregnant without a Test by the State of Your Body

The conception is usually accompanied by a physiological and hormonal adjustment of the female organism which becomes evident to a woman due to the changes in her state of health and figure. Some of these symptoms are specific signs of pregnancy and can be indications that the conception has happened.

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  • Dizziness and Fainting: The early pregnancy stages may be accompanied by dizziness or clouded consciousness. These sensations are a sign of changing hormonal background and an increase in certain hormones. Such a state not only can tell you about your pregnancy, but it also can be a consequence of stressful events or overtiring.
  • Raised Body Temperature (about 98.6°F): The increase in body temperature is one of the pregnancy symptoms, especially if its level has been constant for a long period of time. It happens because the developing embryo situated in the fallopian tubes before the implantation into the uterine wall is interpreted as a foreign object by the organism of the mother and that triggers the immune system. That’s why your body temperature is raised. During the first trimester of pregnancy, doctors consider 98.6°F a normal body temperature. This sign can be of help when you suspect you’ve conceived if any infections or inflammations are eliminated.
  • Nasal Congestion: Some women experience great difficulties sleeping because of nasal congestion during the first half of pregnancy. It’s easily explained by the increased blood flow after the conception that leads to the mucous membranes’ swelling, including the nose. That causes unpleasant sensations and interferes with breathing. So, if you haven’t caught a cold and still have a stuffed nose you might be in the early terms of pregnancy.
  • Breast Swelling: This is one of the most well-known and credible pregnancy signs. Breast swelling, changes in nipples’ color, and their growth indicate that your body is preparing for lactation. But some women often have breast swelling before menstruations, so you shouldn’t completely trust this pregnancy symptom.
  • Pains and Heaviness in the Lower Abdomen (in the Navel Area): The painful sensations or feeling of heaviness in your lower abdomen are a sign of pregnancy and happen during the period when an embryo is getting through the fallopian tubes into the uterine cavity and fastens to the uterine wall. The implantation period is accompanied by pains in your lower belly and common ailment, in some cases – by some light spotting which is usually misinterpreted for menstruation.
  • Nausea and Vomiting:These are the usual symptoms of morning sickness. Not every woman experiences these sensations during pregnancy, but if you’re trying to conceive and these symptoms have begun you’re likely to be pregnant. Of course, first of all, food poisoning should be eliminated.
  • Weight Gain: You can gain weight during the early termination of pregnancy because of the water retention in the soft tissues of the organism and, as a consequence, swelling. It can also be related to increased appetite and food cravings. If such a sign can be a possible symptom of your pregnancy, check out with a doctor.
  • Reactions to Smells, Tastes, Eyesight Changes: Maternal instincts improve your eyesight, senses of smell, and taste. Your sensitivity to scents increases, taste preferences are changing, eyesight improves – all these signs are the heritage from our ancestors so that we could better defend our offspring. It’s not a coincidence that these symptoms are mentioned among the earliest pregnancy signs.
  • Mood Swings: Pregnant women are known for their sensitivity and sentiments. Anything can lead to tears or irritation. It happens because of the excessive hormones in the organism during the whole pregnancy. If there are no other causes for mood swings (such as PMS or depression) you might be pregnant.
  • Weakness and Sleepiness:During the early pregnancy terms when the body spends a lot of energy on the adjustment to pregnancy a woman may experience a lack of strength and constant exhaustion. Sleepiness may become your companion throughout the whole day. Your usual activities lead to exhaustion. A lot of future mothers feel these symptoms during their early stages, but they may also be a sign of vitamin deficiency or stress.
  • Pigmentary Spots and Papillomas: Hormonal changes in a future mother’s body are sometimes accompanied by the appearance of pigmentary spots and papillomas. But such a rash is more likely to appear in later terms of pregnancy, so you shouldn’t think that you’re pregnant only because of some eruption on your skin.
  • Frequent Urination: The growing uterus applies pressure to the internal organs around it, including the bladder. As a result expectant mothers have urination urges far more often than other people. But in the early stages of pregnancy when the uterus isn’t increased in size you shouldn’t experience such urges. If you still visit the bathroom more often than before it can be a sign of inflammatory or infectious diseases of the urinary system, and you should go to the doctor immediately.

In most cases, a woman not only feels characteristic changes in her state of health, but she can also suspect she is pregnant due to her intuition. Deviations from the normal state of health are signals given by the organism because of the changes happening inside of your body, and to tell if you’re pregnant without a test at home during the early terms of pregnancy you’ll need to verify your suspicions with the help of available methods.