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Rhio Barnhart, (U.C. Davis, retired) emailed me this transliteration and image of the pregnancy 'test' on April 27, 2011.

Some pregnant women may be trying to get grain seeds to grow by urinating on them in imitation of an ancient Egyptian pregnancy test. Perhaps the holistic test was 70 percent accurate. But don't try this at home.

The research continues to find out the source of the ancient Egyptian holistic pregnancy test. Basically, the dramatic increase in estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy is a natural hormone that somehow motivates grain seeds to sprout, for example barley and wheat grains, provided the plants also have water and soil to continue growing.

The earliest recorded pregnancy test has been found by archaeologists examining ancient Egyptian medical training documents using barley and wheat grains/seeds. The test dates from around 1350 B.C.E.

Archaeologists found a hieroglyphic document that when translated described how to find out whether someone is pregnant. The woman who thinks she may be pregnant urinates on wheat and barley whole grains/seeds.

The ancient papyrus translated something like, “If the barley seeds sprout or grow, it means a male child will be born. If the wheat sprouts and thrives, it means a female child will arrive in a few months.

If the barley and wheat grains never sprout and grow when a woman urinates on the grain seeds, the woman is not pregnant and therefore, will not give birth this time around. That part of the test that's 70% accurate is when either type of grains actually sprout and thrive when urinated upon by a pregnant woman, even in the earliest stages of pregnancy.

The ancient papyrus translated something like, “If the barley seeds sprout or grow, it means a male child will be born. If the wheat sprouts and thrives, it means a female child will arrive in a few months.

If the barley and wheat grains never sprout and grow when a woman urinates on the grain seeds, the woman is not pregnant and therefore, will not give birth this time around. That part of the test that's 70% accurate is when either type of grains actually sprout and thrive when urinated upon by a pregnant woman, even in the earliest stages of pregnancy.

Archaeologists actually tested the ancient Egyptian medicinal folklore in 1963. They had pregnant women do the test and found it to be 70 percent accurate. The reason why the ancient Egyptian and probably Sumerian test works is because the urine of pregnant women contains a high level of estrogen and progesterone, especially the estrogen that may help the grains to sprout.

Barley and wheat grains were a staple of the ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, Persian, and further back in time, even Neolithic diets throughout the grain belt--the Middle East and certain Mediterranean areas in ancient times. It might have existed back in Neolithic times when agriculture began and people experimented to see what might make barley and wheat grains sprout.

Although the test won't really predict a baby's gender, the 70 percent accuracy rate is awe inspiring. Seems the grains sprouted when the pregnant women urinated on the seeds, but not when anyone else urinated on them who was not pregnant at the time.

Perhaps there was a shortage of water and fertile soil at the dawn of grain agriculture. What the test measured that predicted pregnancy had been the rise of hormones that help certain types of grains/edible seeds to sprout. If you're looking for a more modern pregnancy test information by a healthcare professional on how to take one, there's a video on YouTube: Family Health: Using a Home Pregnancy Test.

As far as the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic source of this "fertilize the grains" pregnancy test, a class of University of California, Davis students recently translated this passage as part of their homework. For the reader's amusement, this is how it looks in the original. Rhio Barnhart, (U.C. Davis, retired) emailed me this transliteration of the pregnancy 'test' on April 27, 2011.

1. ky mAA msy.s{t} nn msy.s

Another way of seeing whether she is with child or not with child.

2. it bdt iwt.s{t} m mt.s{t}

Take barley and emmer, she should moisten them with her urine

iwt - vb prospective = moisten

3. ra nb mi binr mi Sat m arfy

every day like dates, like cakes in two sacks.

ra nb = every day

4. ir rwD.sn r Aw.sn iw.s{t} r mst

if they flourish in their entirety, she will be with child.

r Aw = in their entirety

iw - particle to allow .s{t} as subject

r - of futurity

5. ir rDw (var. rwD) it TAy pw

if the barley flourishes, then it is male

pw indicates a bi-partite nominal sentence

6. ir rwD bdt st pw

if the emmer flourishes, it is female

7. ir t m.sn rdw nn msy{t}.s{t}

if they do not flourish, she is not with child.

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