I found this article on the history of the pregnancy test eye-opening; http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/opinion/sunday/could-women-be-trusted-with-their-own-pregnancy-tests.html
I completely take it for granted! I never realized that it used to be the consensus that women couldn't be trusted with this very basic information about their own bodies.
pomelo / 5257 posts
My husband read this and was telling me about it! So crazy. I'm so glad they decided women could handle this information 🙄 Haha
grapefruit / 4361 posts
My mom told me that back when she was trying in the later 80s, pregnancy tests cost like 10 to $20 a pop, so she would have to wait until her period was multiple weeks late before she would even think of taking one either at home or the doctor's office. And sadly, she had very irregular cycles, so she would always get her hopes up and then not know what was going on. Took 18 months to conceive me and 12 months for my brother.
grapefruit / 4466 posts
@MrsSCB: Haha, I know! I feel like there are still vestiges of this too. For example, there's this company 23andme that will take your saliva and give you a bunch of info about your genome, including carrier status for some diseases like cystic fibrosis. You just order the kit online, spit in the tube, send it in, and get an email with a link to the results when they are ready. There's also a company called counsyl that has a test for carrier status - for more conditions than 23andme - that they specifically market as preconception screening. The FDA requires that a licensed physician order that test and give you the results, even though it's pretty much analogous to 23andme. I was super annoyed. It seems like of all things, I have a right to know what is in my genome. Of course, if the test comes back positive for some condition, they should recommend you go see a doctor, just like you would with a positive pregnancy test. Anyways...
grapefruit / 4466 posts
This site has pictures of some old ads: http://clickamericana.com/eras/1970s/early-home-pregnancy-tests-1978-1985
They look super elaborate! And btw "as early as nine days after you've missed your period..." I guess the 2 week wait used to be like a one month wait!
watermelon / 14467 posts
Wow, what a great article! It's really eye-opening how women were (and are) treated, especially with regard to pregnancy.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
That's kind of crazy. I know my mom always said she had to go to the doctor to find out if she was pregnant and home tests weren't available- this was late 70s to mid 80s. There were 4 years between my sister and me and she didn't really get a period at all- I can't imagine that stress. She only knew she was pregnant because she felt awful- good thing for morning sickness.
grapefruit / 4466 posts
@Corduroy: Hah, I would have probably managed to knock over the giant test tube contraption at some point during the one hour wait and had to start over 
@Foodnerd81: @DesertDreams88: Fascinating! My mother has never mentioned anything, and I never stopped to think that tests weren't around - or cost a ton - in the 1980s. I will have to ask her the next time I see her what her experiences were...
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