1350 B.C.

One of the earliest written records of a urine-based pregnancy test can be found in ancient Egypt.

Middle Ages Through the Seventeenth Century

In Europe, so-called “piss prophets” claimed to be able to diagnose many different conditions and diseases by the color of urine.

Nineteenth Century

There were theories in abundance, such as the possibility that pregnancy urine contained certain identifiable crystals or bacteria. Scientists did not know enough about pregnancy to develop a reliable test.

1890s

Many physicians began to describe the workings of chemicals in the body, suggesting that “internal secretions” by certain organs were crucial to an understanding of human biology. Ernest Starling named these chemical messengers “hormones.”

1920s

Scientists recognized that there is a specific hormone (now known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)) that is only found in pregnant women.

1927

To test for pregnancy, a woman’s urine was injected into an immature rat or mouse. If the subject was not pregnant, there would be no reaction. In the case of pregnancy, the rat would show an estrous reaction (be in heat) despite its immaturity.

1970

Tests available to doctors and technicians included Wampole’s two-hour pregnancy test. The test could be done as early as four days after a missed period. In the packaging materials, the man pictured performing the test wore a laboratory coat, indicating that it was not intended for home use. Besides the equipment in the kit, (two test tubes, a plastic rack, a bottle of “control solution,” a bottle of “hCG-antiserum” and a bottle of “cell suspension”), testers would need a small funnel and filter paper or centrifuge, clean pipettes or syringes, and saline solution in addition to a urine sample.

1980s

Research increased and educational campaigns were launched to identify the importance of folic acid in early pregnancy and to warn of the dangers of various environmental hazards and alcohol to a developing fetus.

1990s

Advances in the technology of pregnancy tests included the development of new types of antibodies and the use of enzyme labels in place of radioactive labels.

ASSEMBLED BY BENNETT ROGERS AND JEN PETRUCCI

Source-

1.) http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/thinblueline/timeline.html