A pregnancy test for women who would have lived hundreds or even thousands of years ago. This is what a team of researchers based in the United Kingdom has developed.
Or at least, they succeeded for the very first time in detecting so-called sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in the bones and teeth of individuals who lived between the Iis and the 19the centuries. Then they demonstrated how to use them as biomarkers to identify, on an archaeological site, people who were pregnant or who had given birth shortly before dying. This work is described in the November edition of Journal of Archaeological Science.
Interviewed by the weekly New Scientist, Aimée Barlow, archaeologist at the University of Sheffield and first author of the study, explains: “Pregnancy, miscarriage and childbirth are particularly powerful experiences for women, both physiologically and psychologically, but until now, almost no trace of them has been found in archaeological research.” She adds:
“This method could revolutionize the way we study the reproductive history of ancient people. I think it’s fantastic.”
Current pregnancy tests measure BHCG levels in blood or urine, but this hormone produced by a pregnant woman’s placenta disintegrates quickly and leaves little trace of its presence in the body. On the other hand, progesterone, which depending on its concentration is also a biomarker of pregnancy, remains longer in the tissues. This is why the team sought to detect it and compare it to other steroid hormones.
Caution in interpretations
The researchers worked on a cohort of seven female and three male skeletons whose sex was determined using DNA analysis. Two of the women were buried with newborn babies and two others had fetal remains in their abdomens.
In the samples taken from these four women, progesterone came out clearly, but no trace of testosterone was identified, whereas for the three women who were not associated with fetuses or babies, this hormone was indeed detected.
These results thus present a promising technique, but they must still be supplemented by other work and more in-depth research, which will have to clarify certain details. For example, says Aimée Barlow, “The men’s bones and teeth had moderate levels of progesterone for reasons that are still unexplained. We must be very careful in our interpretations.”
