"A private little revolution": the home pregnancy test in American culture.
The home pregnancy test went from novelty to norm in twenty-five years. This article explores its cultural impact in the context of the women's health movement. Though women had long made do without it, the "private little revolution," as the test was called in an early advertisement, enabled them to take control of their reproductive health care and moved the moment of discovery from the doctor's office (back) to the home. The article introduces the test, explores its acceptance by physicians and by women, looks at the marketing of the test by drug companies, and traces its use in movies, television, and novels.
Leavitt
Sarah
S
Office of NIH History, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2092, USA. leavitts@mail.nih.gov
D003469:Culture; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000266:history; D005260:Female; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D040541:Marketing / Q000266:history; D011247:Pregnancy; D011258:Pregnancy Tests / Q000266:history*; D012648:Self Care / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health / Q000266:history*