Bleach has been used in every household as a cleaning agent for kitchen and toilets. Bleach can also be used for a pregnancy test at home. This home pregnancy test using bleach is known as bleach pregnancy test. It is a quick and cheap alternative to a conventional pregnancy test.

Do Bleach Pregnancy Tests Work?

What is a Bleaching Powder Pregnancy Test?

Bleach pregnancy test is an easy homemade pregnancy test using bleach as the testing indicator. Pregnancy can be easily detected without spending too much money by this method. The bleach pregnancy test is a good method to try as a precursor to another pregnancy test.

Bleach and pee pregnancy test is possible due to the highly reactive nature of bleach. The reaction between the bleach and urine indicates the result of this test. If the reaction produces fizz, bubble or froth, this could mean that you are pregnant. While if you don’t see any visible reaction, it suggests that you are not pregnant.

What will You Need to Perform the Test?

For bleach pregnancy test, you will need the following items:

• Two clean cups- mark them as cup 1 and cup 2.
• Standard household bleach
• Fresh urine sample (try to conduct the test in the morning since the concentration of hcg in urine is maximum at that time)

How to Perform Bleaching Powder Pregnancy Test?

Following are the steps to perform bleach powder pregnancy test:

Prepare the Urine in Cup 1

Urinate in the cup directly. Try to fill one-fourth of the cup with urine. It is advised to perform the test in the morning since the concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) is highest at this time. Hence it will give you better results.

Prepare the Bleach in Cup 2

Put some bleach into the cup 2. There is no specified measurement for this, but it is advised to take one-fourth cup of bleach.

Add your Urine to Cup 1

Pour the fresh urine sample from cup 1 to cup 2. You will be able to see the reaction immediately.

Observe the Reaction

After mixing, if the reaction produces fizz, bubble or froth, this could mean that you are pregnant. While if you don’t see any visible reaction, it suggests that you are not pregnant.

What if there is no Reaction?

If you cannot see any reaction after bleach and urine is mixed, then you are not likely not to be pregnant. However, you should not come to a conclusion that you are not pregnant since the bleach and pee pregnancy test is not 100 % conclusive. You should try another standard pregnancy test to find out for sure.

Test Result

The bleach powder pregnancy test will need your patience for interpretation of results. Froth will be generated as soon as you add urine in bleach. You will have to be observant as the reaction lasts for a few seconds.

Positive Result  

If the solution produces fizz, bubble or froth, this is the positive pregnancy test with bleach and urine. If the mixture foamed within a few seconds, there is a very high chance that you are pregnant. A positive bleach pregnancy test indicates that you are pregnant.

A false positive pregnancy result is when the pregnancy test shows positive, but you are not actually pregnant. If you leave the mix for too long, it will froth due to other reasons. It will be considered as a false positive pregnancy result.

Negative Result

If the mix doesn’t produce any frothing or effervescence, then you are not likely not to be pregnant. But this result is not 100 % conclusive. You should try another standard pregnancy test to find out for sure. A negative bleach pregnancy test suggests that you are not pregnant.

A false negative pregnancy test is when you are pregnant, and the pregnancy test gives a negative result. However, a false negative pregnancy test is very uncommon. A false pregnancy result can be observed if you take a bleach pregnancy test before a missed period.

Precautions to Take while Doing Home Pregnancy Test with Bleach

It is very important to take safety precautions while doing the bleach powder pregnancy test. Here are some precautions you should take:

• Do not pee inside the container for this test. It will cause splash and splatter all over. Also, if you pee in the container, it will cause froth and bubble because of the force of falling urine. It might give confusing and false results.
• Use the normal bleach rather than the scented or coloured bleach as these might disrupt the reaction between bleach and pee.
• The fumes caused by mixing bleach and urine may cause watery eyes, nausea, suffocation and chest pain. The fumes from the bleach and pee pregnancy test can be toxic to your unborn baby if you inhale them.
• The observation has to be made in the first few seconds. If you leave the mix for too long, it will froth due to other reasons. It will be considered as a false positive pregnancy result.
• Ensure that the room where the testing is done has proper ventilation. Never inhale the gases that come out during the test.
• Do not allow bleach to come in contact with your skin. Bleach is corrosive in nature. It can cause irritation and burns.
• Do not shake the mixture of urine and bleach. The froth seen after shaking the mixture will not be the proper indicator of pregnancy. The foam or froth might have been caused due to the stirring action.

The bleach powder pregnancy test is a very useful home-based test to check pregnancy. However, the results from this test are not 100 % conclusive. It is highly recommended that you get a standard pregnancy test done at a hospital for confirmed results.