Fact Check
Rumors about Plan B pills being found inside of pregnancy tests have been circulating online for years. In May 2022, after a draft opinion from the Supreme Court about overturning Roe V. Wade was leaked, these rumors once again found traction online.
There is no truth to these claims. Pregnancy tests do not contain Plan B, an emergency contraception pill that is used after intercourse in order to prevent pregnancy.
ClearBlue, one of the most popular pregnancy test brands, addressed these rumors in 2019, writing in a Facebook post that the "Plan B" pill allegedly found inside of its pregnancy test was actually a desiccant tablet that is included to absorb moisture:
The rumor that pregnancy tests contain Plan B was largely spread by videos showing people cracking open pregnancy tests and pulling out this desiccant tablet. Here's one example from TikTok:
A similar video from 2019 has been viewed more than 4.5 million times:
While videos containing this claim have racked up millions of views, so have some videos debunking it. Dr. Karan Rajan, a surgeon, social media educator, and lecturer at the Imperial College London, addressed these rumors in a TikTok video in April 2022:
Rajan said: "They are a desiccant tablet used to absorb and hold moisture to extend a shelf life of a pregnancy test similar to the little silica packets you find in shoes and bags."