Skip to main content

 

A woman looking down towards a pregnancy test waiting for the result.

Pregnancy shouldn’t be complicated, but let’s be honest it often is. From the moment of conception and testing through to charting weekly developments and growing bellies, doctor’s appointments, scans, kitting out the nursery, prepping your maternity bag, worrying about diet, energy, stretch marks, swollen ankles, breast feeding and the birth itself, there’s a lot to think about. It’s exhausting and that’s even before the baby arrives.

So, when Vogue writer Nell Frizzell bemoaned the complexities of the pregnancy test, it struck a chord. In fact, we wanted to ring her and shout down the phone, “We hear you and we agree!”

There’s no denying the humble pregnancy test has undergone something of a metamorphosis over the years to arrive at the ubiquitous white stick so many of us are familiar with today.

It wasn’t that long ago testing whether a woman was expecting involved injecting her pee into a frog, an African claw frog to be precise. Quite how this became the gold standard is pretty remarkable in itself. A very eminent British biologist colourfully named Lancelot Hogben, discovered through many complex experiments that this was an effective way of revealing if you were with child.

Women trying for a baby weren’t expected to keep a ready supply of frogs on hand – urine was sent away to a lab for the experiment to be performed. But it really was the test of choice right up until the Seventies before simpler tests were developed and home testing became a thing.

Now, according to records, although the frogs were not harmed and could be used after a couple of weeks for a new test, the African claw frog became rather sought after and Hogben inadvertently started a lucrative worldwide trade in them. Some of the more adventurous amphibians escaped their labs and made a cosy new home for themselves in unlikely places such as Wales where they still live today. Unfortunately, these new guests brought with them a fungus which has decimated global frog species.

Frog Armageddon aside, it was a relief when the Hogben test was replaced with simpler lab tests and straightforward home kits. But even that’s become a bit of a minefield. There are cheap strip and stick tests for a £1 or less and you wonder if they really can be accurate. Or whether you might have more luck peeing on wheat and barley seeds like the ancient Egyptians did.

There is now a vast choice and range of Pregnancy Tests on the market, tests which show you’re pregnant with two lines, some with a cross, some digitally flash the word pregnant at you and even tell you how many weeks. Some will give you a result six days before your last missed period, others make you wait until you’re definitely late.

And if you really want to splash the cash, there are home blood prick devices which cost a hefty £60-£70. For an extra £40 you can even get a nurse to come and draw blood from the comfort of your sofa or desk (not so private if you work in an open plan office).

It truly is rather mind boggling! Fortunately, for roughly the cost of two Starbucks’ Crème Brulée Brown Sugar Frappuccinos, you can buy Suresign 6 Day Early Test with two tests that give accurate results six days before your missed period. They’re simple, easy to use and with clear instructions, taking the stress out of testing.

So, remember when you need to find out if you’re expecting you can rely on Suresign to give you peace of mind and be grateful you’re not injecting wee into a frog…

For easy pregnancy testing and access to other highly accurate rapid diagnostic tests you can rely on Suresign. Check out our range of pregnancy and fertility tests at www.suresign.com.

Buy Our Home Testing Kits Today

Suresign

Author Suresign

More posts by Suresign

Leave a Reply