When/how did women usually figure out they were pregnant a few hundred years ago w/o pg tests, etc?

Answer 1

I'm not sure but they would definately know for sure when the baby was on its way out.*

Answer 2

The same way we do... missed period, developing symptoms, and then growing a little belly. They just took it for granted that a baby was coming in nine months, and got on with life. Back then, families and even whole communities rallied around the expecting women. Seems so lonely and complex now, doesn't it? Of course, the flip side is, more women and babies died in childbirth then. HUGE mortality rate. So technology isn't so bad after all.

Answer 3

There are any number of indicators. First, of course, is a missed period. A woman's breasts usually become tender and feel "heavier" to her. She may notice some hormonal changes (or not) such as weepiness, sadness, difficulty concentrating. Generally speaking, a few hundred years ago, you stopped having periods and started expanding around the middle, and...hello.

Answer 4

Back then it wasn't such a huge deal and need to know basis. That was a womans job beyond house work. In todays world it is a womans priority to have a life and career and find out what is up. but my guess would be the symptoms that all woman get that gave them the knowledge.
I think you should watch the movie the scarlet letter. that might give you an idea.

Answer 5

Once upon a time, HPT's did not exist. (What people like us did in their spare time we may never know.) To determine if a woman was pregnant, her urine was injected into your ordinary garden-variety (female) rabbit. (Get it? Garden-variety? Rabbit? Like bunnies in your gar-- oh, fine ;) If the woman's urine contained hCG (pregnancy hormone), the rabbit's ovaries would react by producing little pockets of blood. (These were harmless to the rabbit.) Unfortunately, this was in the day before see-through rabbits, so the only way to see the ovaries was to kill the rabbit, cut her open, and peek inside. So, the rabbit actually died whether or not the woman was pregnant. Somewhere along the line that little detail was lost, however, and "the rabbit died" became slang for "being pregnant."

Answer 6

they just waited (and waited and waited) we are so lucky now having tests. They would know if they missed a few periods and then started to have other symptoms such as morning sickness, or a big belly.

if there was something else wrong, that wasn't pregnancy, that caused lack of period, they had no real way to know... a lot of women died from female problems as a result.

Answer 7

They had to go off of missed perriods and other pregnancy symptoms. Also I know that many many years ago how weddings took place at certain times. The parents of the bride would want the womans wedding day to be on certain days cause of her menstrual cycle so, on her wedding night when her and her husband had sex she would get pregnant that night.

Answer 8

I'm sure they just sensed the change in there bodies like a lot of women do when they suspect they are pregnant...I guess they didn't know for sure until a few months went by...

Answer 9

I guess after they missed their menses, the body goes through alot of changes during pregnancy and then your harmones get out of wack. I think they found out by about 5-8 weeks...

Answer 10

They just waited sooner then later you start to notice the changes. Before peeing on a stick they would inject bunnies with a women's blood and if the bunny died that meant she was pregnant kinda cool huh

Answer 11

When they missed a period, or they started to show. They probably didn't find out till about 6- 8 weeks.