Experts brushed off using toothpaste as pregnancy test

A YOUTUBE clip supposedly demonstrating how toothpaste can be used as a pregnancy test has gone viral online.

The far-fetched video shows someone mixing toothpaste with her urine and waiting for the mixture to become frothy and blue. It claims that such a result would indicate that the person is pregnant.

The clip suggests that the DIY method works similarly to a shopbought pregnancy test, producing a result in just three minutes – a claim that was shared by several news outlets.

However, experts have been quick to debunk it.

The video claims that the change in the texture and colour of the toothpaste is the result of a reaction to HCG – the hormone produced after a fertilised egg attaches itself to the uterus.

This is what pregnancy tests are designed to detect.

But Dr Alex Eskander, consultant gynaecologist at The Gynae Centre, has explained that the theory is nonsense.

“There is no scientific basis for detecting pregnancy by mixing urine with toothpaste,” he said.

“Modern pregnancy tests will detect whether urine contains the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone,” he said.

“Some sensitive pregnancy tests can be positive as early as 12 days after fertilisation, that is, before the missed period.

“But if you think you are pregnant, ideally you should only test three to five days after the missed period with a proper approved CE marked test and not with toothpaste.” – The Independent