Revolution in a test tube: Inventing the home pregnancy test
In 1967 Meg Crane had the idea for a pregnancy test women could do themselves. But the fight for recognition, and to get her design onto shelves, would be life-changing.
In 1967 Meg Crane had the idea for a home pregnancy test - one that women could do themselves. It would mean no more long waits for laboratory results and no need for doctors. But her bosses at the pharmaceutical firm where she worked took a different view. Although her idea was dismissed, she continued to work on her prototype for the world's first home pregnancy test. The fight for recognition, and to finally get her design onto shelves, started on the day that she gatecrashed a meeting of male product designers. The only support in the room came from an advertising executive called Ira Sturtevant, who would change Meg’s life forever.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Helen Fitzhenry
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
(Photo: Meg Crane Credit: Meg Crane)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Tue 16 May 2023 11:06GMTÂ鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service
- Tue 16 May 2023 17:06GMTÂ鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Tue 16 May 2023 21:06GMTÂ鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Wed 17 May 2023 02:06GMTÂ鶹ÊÓƵAV World Service
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected