How To Do The Dandelion Pregnancy Test?

Long before over-the-counter pregnancy tests were ever invented, women have been finding natural ways to test themselves for early pregnancy. These homemade pregnancy tests have survived the test of time and are still used by women who are on tight budgets or for whatever reason do not trust modern medical testing procedures. One of the more popular options for testing at home without a kit involves using dandelions. Dandelions are said to be great indicators of whether or not a woman may be pregnant. However, before a woman attempts this method for testing, she should understand how to conduct it properly and learn what factors could undermine her results.

The dandelion flowers are not essential to this test. Instead, women must use the leaves for testing for early pregnancy. The leaves have chemicals in them that interact with hCG, the hormone created by the placenta of a growing pregnancy. This hormone is found in a woman’s bloodstream and urine, starting at about two weeks after conception and doubling in concentration throughout the first trimester. After the first trimester, the levels of hCG begin to subside. When a woman wants to test for pregnancy using this method, she is advised to conduct it as soon as she misses her period.

To carry out the test, a woman must ensure that her urine comes into contact with dandelion leaves. Most women place the leaves on a plastic sheet on the floor and simply urinate on them. Others prefer to be a bit more discreet by collecting their urine in a clean cup and then dropping small amounts of urine on a container full of dandelion leaves. If a woman is not pregnant, the leaves will not change their color or appearance. However, if she is pregnant, the leaves should develop red blisters on them. It should be noted that the change in appearance may not take place right away. In fact, it could take a few hours for the changes to appear. If the leaves develop red blisters, the woman taking the test should then see her doctor for further testing to confirm her pregnancy.

How Does The Dandelion Pregnancy Test Work?

The primary goal of this test is to ensure that a woman’s urine comes into contact with the dandelion leaves. The leaves themselves indicate the presence of hCG in a woman’s urine because they will change colors and develop red blisters on them if she is pregnant. While it may appear to be a simple task by many women, this test can actually be quite challenging to carry out if women fail to pay proper attention to details. They must ensure that the leaves that they use for the test have not been contaminated and that the surface on which they test likewise is clean and sterile.

Many women simply place the leaves on a plastic sheet on the floor. They then urinate on the leaves to carry out the rest of the test. While this approach may appear to be rather basic, it can in fact leave room for error in the result. First, a woman has no way of knowing if contaminants from her floor made contact with the leaves themselves. Second, debris and contaminants on the plastic sheet likewise may have compromised the quality of urine before it made contact with the leaves.

Finally, women may be unsure if the dandelions they have picked for the test are as pristine and free from chemicals as they should be. If dandelions have been sprayed with weed killer, for example, they may be unable to properly interact with the urine and detect the hCG. If a woman knows that her yard has been treated with chemicals or that any contaminants like bleach or ammonia have been poured into the soil, she would do well to find dandelions from another location.

Accuracy Of The Dandelion Pregnancy Test

No pregnancy test, even those sold over-the-counter, is 100 percent accurate. Room for error and false negative pregnancy test or positive pregnancy test results always exists. However, women can keep the likelihood of errors occurring with their dandelion pregnancy test by using some simple approaches and common sense. These tactics allow them to conduct the test and get the most reliable results possible without going to the doctor first. First, they should ensure that they are far enough along in their suspected pregnancies to test and obtain a readable result. Some women get anxious and test too early. The hCG pregnancy hormone does not show up in a woman’s urine until 11 days after conception at the earliest. It would be advisable for women to wait until they have actually missed a period before trying this test.

Second, they should use the highest quality of urine possible for the dandelion test. Dandelion leaves are sensitive to hCG. However, if a woman’s urine has been compromised the leaves may be unable to pick up on this hormone’s presence. As such, she would do well to use her urine from first thing in the morning to conduct the test. First morning urine is often more concentrated and contains higher levels of hCG if a woman is pregnant. If she uses urine from later in the day, this sample may be contaminated with medicines, caffeine, or even too much water. If at all possible, a woman should wait until first thing in the morning to carry out the test, using her first morning’s urine sample.

You should collect your urine in a clean, sterile container. Many women make the mistake of using a cup that, while clean, is not as sterile as it should be. Even seemingly clean containers can have contaminants in them. If at all possible, she should use a container that has been bleached in hot water or run through a dishwasher first. This will ensure that no contaminants from the cup interfere with the urine’s quality. It also ensures that the dandelion leaves will develop red blisters if she is pregnant.