A device that allowed women to take a pregnancy test at home was invented in the late 1960s, but it did not hit the shelves of stores and pharmacies until several years (and in some countries - decades).

Graphic designer Margaret Crane was 26 years old when, in 1967, she took a job with the pharmaceutical company Organon in New Jersey to design packaging for a new line of lipsticks and creams. nine0011

Once in one of the company's premises, she saw a number of test tubes suspended on a tripod above the mirrored surface of the laboratory table. She was told that these were diagnostic pregnancy tests designed for doctors.

The woman's urine and a little water were added to the test tube, which already contained the reagent, using a pipette, after which the tube was again hung on a tripod. The mirror surface at the bottom was needed to track the appearance of a red circle at the very bottom of the test tube - in the case of a woman's pregnancy. The result had to wait for two hours. nine0011

"I thought: it would be great if women themselves could use it!... All that was required was a reagent and some kind of device for analysis at home. It immediately occurred to me, and I could not get rid of this thought ", - admitted Margaret Crane in a recent interview with the BBC program Witness ("Witness").

Pregnancy tests respond to the presence in a woman's body of a specific hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which begins to be produced by the end of the first week after fertilization of the egg. nine0011

Nowadays, a woman can buy a pregnancy test the size of a felt-tip pen in a pharmacy or supermarket and find out in 10 minutes in the nearest toilet what is happening in her body. But in Margaret's time, you had to go to the doctor to get an answer in the early stages.

This was not an easy step for young unmarried girls: the sexual revolution in the West in the late 1960s was just beginning, and they preferred not to admit to an active sex life (and, God forbid, casual sex) even to a doctor. nine0011

Margaret's goal is to give women the opportunity to figure things out on their own, without pressure from doctors, husbands, boyfriends or their own parents.

"It's impossible!"

Photo credit, QAI Publishing/Getty

The hCG hormone begins to be produced in the first days of pregnancy. It is its presence in the urine that gives a positive test result

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"When I saw these test tubes, I thought, God, where do I put such a small test tube so that it won't move for two hours? I drove home to my New York apartment, and began to come up with a device that could firmly hold the test tube," says Margaret.

She tried many options. Some samples were too labor-intensive, some simply did not work. And suddenly her eyes fell on a plastic container for paper clips.

"It was perfect because it was stable, and inside I made a small shelf to hold a test tube and a pipette," she continues. it's really necessary!" Crane continues.

Margaret had no medical background, but that didn't stop her from quickly building a working prototype of the device, which she called the Predictor ("Predictor"). nine0011

This is what it looked like: in a plastic box with a mirrored bottom and two holes at the top, a urine pipette and a small test tube with a reagent were inserted. The woman had to add urine, water, shake the contents and leave for a couple of hours to get an answer.

Margaret expected to see, if not delight, then at least amazement in the eyes of her superiors, and hastened to share the news.

"Excitedly, I showed my prototype to my boss, and he said, 'Very interesting, but we can't make it. If we sell this to women, we will lose business. No, it's impossible," recalls Margaret Crane.

Some of the company's superiors generally thought that women would not be able to understand how to use this thing.

"Actually, they thought it was immoral: women shouldn't do it themselves, it's the prerogative of doctors (most of whom were men). And I even heard one person [in the management of the company] say: "If the daughter of any If a senator buys such a test, finds out that she is pregnant, and jumps off the bridge, then we will be sued, and we will lose the company, "said the inventor.

Organon, where Crane worked, was a subsidiary of the Dutch company Akzo, and Margaret's American bosses nevertheless decided, without naming the inventor, to notify European bosses about the development of new items.

The European parent company was interested in the idea, but Margaret knew nothing about it.

A few months later, already in 1968, she heard rumors that Organon was planning a meeting about the design of a home pregnancy test and an advertising campaign. nine0011

"I just showed up there uninvited. I wasn't kicked out, so I put my sample on the table after everyone had shown their ideas. The meeting started and the advertiser, Ira Sturtevant, walked around the table and chose my version, saying, "We that’s what we use, right?” Margaret recalls. just what it takes to get the result.0011

Inventor without invention

Photo by Bettmann/Getty

Despite opposition from conservative circles, home pregnancy tests were sold first in Canada and since 1974 in the US

So easy the matter did not end: after the approval of Margaret Crane's design, talk began that her idea was not so easy to put into production - not cost-effective.

But the young woman didn't give up: "I took a couple of days off (this was before computers), armed myself with the Yellow Pages and started looking for companies that made plastic products. One of them agreed to produce a prototype for a third of the cost, which was called at Organon. So the company just had to use my design." nine0011

In 1969, Organon filed a patent application with the name Margaret Crane as "inventor" on the condition that a woman waive the rights to the invention for $1. Margaret lost her sales revenue, but agreed anyway.

The predictor test was first marketed in Canada in 1971 with the advertising slogan "Every woman has the right to know if she is pregnant or not." In the United States, it took another five years to get government approval.

"All this happened at the end of 1960s, and the abortion law [in the US] wasn't passed until the early 1970s. Many assumed that the device was only for those who were considering abortion. But in fact, this is not the case, since many women have tried to get pregnant and the test helped them understand what was happening in the body," Margaret explains. $40 million

However, not only did Margaret herself not receive a cent for her invention, her name was not mentioned for a long time due to the history of the creation of the first pregnancy test.0011 Image caption,

The modern pregnancy test works like Margaret's Predictor

And when Margaret, reading a New York Times article in 2012 about the first home pregnancy test, found her name missing again, she realized that should make itself known.

She took the first prototype of her "Fortuneteller" out of the closet and put it up for auction with an accompanying certificate. When the instrument was acquired by the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution, the press became interested in Margaret's contribution. nine0011

Ironically, Margaret herself did not get to use her invention, but her Predictor did bring her personal happiness. She lived for more than 40 years in a happy union with the very person who, at a fateful meeting back in 1968, chose her design - Ira Sturtevant.

It was not only a love, but also a partnership: together they founded their own advertising agency in New York, just like the characters in the series "Mad Men". Perhaps they were, at least in part. nine0011

The material used excerpts from interviews M argaret Crane BBC broadcast Witness

Top 10 mistakes when trying to get pregnant

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There are times when doctors did not reveal any abnormalities in you and your partner, but the long-awaited pregnancy still does not occur. And it already seems to you that this is not a natural phenomenon, but the real magic of luck and genetics. For some, pregnancy happens "from the first time", while others turn their lives into a real nightmare. nine0141 It's all about making similar mistakes, we tell you about the most common of them.

Mistake #1⃣: Worrying too much

Chances are you have at least one friend who, when she became pregnant, said, "It happened exactly at the moment when I stopped thinking about it." It's annoying, frustrating, and nerve-wracking, especially when all you want to do is have a baby. Stress can be one of the main reasons you can't get pregnant: high levels of the stress hormone cortisol can negatively impact fertility. Relax and try to let go of the situation for a while. Stop planning your pregnancy so much and remind yourself every day that this is a miracle that actually happens very, very often. nine0141 Mistake #2⃣: Doing Too Much/Little
If you're going to do this, do it right! Many couples believe that if you "save" sperm and do not have sex for a week, then the chances of conception will increase significantly. This is not true. After about a week of abstinence, sperm motility is markedly reduced. For successful conception, doctors recommend having sex every day or every other day for a week up to and including the day of ovulation. In addition, having regular sex has been proven to help regulate your cycle: your partner's body releases hormones that affect your reproductive system, so having regular sex increases the production of estrogen. nine0141 Mistake #3⃣: Use questionable practices
It would seem that the 21st century is in the yard, but many women still continue to believe in the miraculous power of douching. Sperm in such an environment dies and cannot fertilize the egg, which is why many people use a weak solution of soda to make the environment alkaline and create favorable conditions for conception. But doctors are opposed to this method: soda kills not only harmful microorganisms, but also beneficial ones, thus violating the natural pH of the vagina. nine0141 Mistake #4⃣: Blame Yourself
Speaking of infertility, we tend to think that the problem is on the part of the woman. But in fact, the responsibility lies equally on both partners. Doctors say that in 40% of cases of infertility, the cause must be sought on the part of the man, in another 40% - on the part of the woman. The remaining 20% ​​is compatibility, a combination of both partners. But do not panic ahead of time. Remember that it takes 6 months to a year for a healthy couple to successfully conceive. nine0141 Mistake #5⃣: Miscalculating
The most common mistake is the incorrect determination of the day of ovulation. Another common mistake is not counting the beginning of the cycle from the first day of menstruation. The first day of your period is when you bleed. Not the day before, not the day after. For successful conception, the bill goes literally to the clock, which is why it is so important to know the exact day the cycle began.
Mistake #6⃣: Living on a Schedule
No matter how hard you try, pregnancy is impossible to plan. As mentioned above, it takes a healthy couple from 6 months to a year to conceive. But many women need half a year just to normalize their cycle after they stop taking contraceptives. Ovulation will not occur until the cycle becomes regular. Therefore, if after 6 months your cycle has not returned to normal or you are not sure that you are ovulating, it is worth visiting a doctor. nine0141 Mistake #7⃣: Hurry
No one knows why so many people are sarcastic about the statement that after intercourse it is advisable to lie on your back with your buttocks slightly raised for about 20 minutes. Doctors unanimously claim that this method increases the possibility of conception by as much as 80%! Therefore, if you want to dance a victory dance after a successful conception, as you think, refrain - at least for 20 minutes.
Mistake #8⃣: Ignoring your “crazy” worries
Maybe you have always had an irregular cycle and because of this you are having difficulty conceiving. Or perhaps you have diabetes and want to make sure everything is under control before you get pregnant. Consulting a specialist does not mean being paranoid! There are situations in which you should not ignore your worries: here you are thinking not only about yourself, but also about your unborn child. If you have any questions or worries, it is better to immediately find a specialist who will explain everything and tell you about the pitfalls that you may encounter specifically on your way. Thus, if you encounter difficulties in trying to get pregnant, you will already be ready for them. nine0141 Mistake #9⃣: Not giving up bad habits
A lot has already been said on this topic, but it will still not be superfluous to repeat: it is necessary to give up bad habits at least a year before trying to get pregnant. Why do women continue to drink alcohol and smoke, knowing how detrimental this affects the ability to conceive? Doctors around the world warn: the first trimester is the most important in the formation of the child's body. There is no such amount of alcohol that would be safe for him. nine0141 Mistake #10 Forgetting about his health
What is bad for your fertility can also be bad for your partner's ability to conceive. Cigarettes, alcohol, unbalanced diet - all this negatively affects the quality and quantity of sperm. Sperm is completely renewed in 3 months, so your partner should give up bad habits at least for this time. Make sure that he consumes enough nutrients, selenium, vitamins E and C - they are especially useful for men.

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