Did you know that frogs were once used to detect pregnancy

Before modern pregnancy test kits existed, doctors relied on a surprising assistant,  a frog. In the 1920s through the 1950s, scientists used a species called the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis , to determine whether a woman was pregnant. Here’s how it worked. Doctors would inject a small sample of a woman’s urine into a female frog. If the woman was pregnant, the frog would lay eggs within 8 to 12 hours. If no eggs appeared, the test was negative. The science behind this method was actually very advanced for its time. Pregnant women produce a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropi

Before modern pregnancy test kits existed, doctors relied on a surprising assistant,  a frog. In the 1920s through the 1950s, scientists used a species called the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, to determine whether a woman was pregnant. Here’s how it worked. Doctors would inject a small sample of a woman’s urine into a female frog. If the woman was pregnant, the frog would lay eggs within 8 to 12 hours. If no eggs appeared, the test was negative. The science behind this method was actually very advanced for its time. Pregnant women produce a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone is present in urine and stimulates ovulation. When the frog absorbed the hormone, it triggered her to release eggs — providing a clear biological response. Unlike earlier animal-based pregnancy tests that required killing the animal to examine its organs, this frog test allowed the frog to survive and be reused. In fact, these frogs became so reliable that laboratories around the world imported them for medical testing. Eventually, with the development of modern laboratory techniques and home pregnancy kits in the late 20th century, the frog test became obsolete. Still, it remains one of the most fascinating chapters in medical history,  proof that science sometimes finds answers in the most unexpected places.