Hcg blood test how early

HCG blood test - quantitative Information | Mount Sinai

Serial beta HCG; Repeat quantitative beta HCG; Human chorionic gonadotropin blood test - quantitative; Beta-HCG blood test - quantitative; Pregnancy test - blood - quantitative

A quantitative human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) test measures the specific level of HCG in the blood. HCG is a hormone produced in the body during pregnancy.

Other HCG tests include:

HCG urine test
HCG blood test -- qualitative

Blood is drawn from a vein (venipuncture), usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe. Preparation may vary depending on the specific test.

How the Test is Performed

A blood sample is needed. This is most often taken from a vein. The procedure is called a venipuncture.

How to Prepare for the Test

No special preparation is needed.

How the Test will Feel

When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain. Others feel only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.

Why the Test is Performed

HCG appears in the blood and urine of pregnant women as early as 10 days after conception. Quantitative HCG measurement helps determine the exact age of the fetus. It can also assist in the diagnosis of abnormal pregnancies, such as ectopic pregnancies, molar pregnancies, and possible miscarriages. It is also used as part of a screening test for Down syndrome.

This test is also done to diagnose abnormal conditions not related to pregnancy that can raise HCG level.

Normal Results

Results are given in milli-international units per milliliter (mUI/mL).

Normal levels are found in:

Non-pregnant women: less than 5 mIU/mL
Healthy men: less than 2 mIU/mL

In pregnancy, HCG level rises rapidly during the first trimester and then declines slightly. The expected HCG ranges in pregnant women are based on the length of the pregnancy.

3 weeks: 5 - 72 mIU/mL
4 weeks: 10 -708 mIU/mL
5 weeks: 217 - 8,245 mIU/mL
6 weeks: 152 - 32,177 mIU/mL
7 weeks: 4,059 - 153,767 mIU/mL
8 weeks: 31,366 - 149,094 mIU/mL
9 weeks: 59,109 - 135,901 mIU/mL
10 weeks: 44,186 - 170,409 mIU/mL
12 weeks: 27,107 - 201,165 mIU/mL
14 weeks: 24,302 - 93,646 mIU/mL
15 weeks: 12,540 - 69,747 mIU/mL
16 weeks: 8,904 - 55,332 mIU/mL
17 weeks: 8,240 - 51,793 mIU/mL
18 weeks: 9,649 - 55,271 mIU/mL

Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test result.

What Abnormal Results Mean

Higher than normal level may indicate:

More than one fetus, for example, twins or triplets
Choriocarcinoma of the uterus
Hydatidiform mole of the uterus
Ovarian cancer
Testicular cancer (in men)

During pregnancy, lower than normal levels based on the gestational age may indicate:

Fetal death
Incomplete miscarriage
Threatened spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
Ectopic pregnancy

Risks

Risks of having blood drawn are slight, but may include:

Excessive bleeding
Fainting or feeling lightheaded
Blood accumulating under the skin (hematoma)
Infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)

Jain S, Pincus MR, Bluth MH, McPherson RA, Bowne WB, Lee P. Diagnosis and management of cancer using serological and other body fluid markers. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 23rd ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2017:chap 74.

Jeelani R, Bluth MH. Reproductive function and pregnancy. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 23rd ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2017:chap 25.

University of Iowa Diagnostic Laboratories. Test directory: HCG - serum, quantitative. www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/path_handbook/rhandbook/test446.html. Updated February 10, 2022. Accessed March 11, 2022.

Yarbrough ML, Stout M, Gronowski AM. Pregnancy and its disorders. In: Rifai N, ed. Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. 6th ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2018:chap 69.

Last reviewed on: 12/3/2020

Reviewed by: LaQuita Martinez, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emory Johns Creek Hospital, Alpharetta, GA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. Editorial update 03/11/2022.

Knowing if you are pregnant

A missed period is often the first clue that a woman might be pregnant. Sometimes, a woman might suspect she is pregnant even sooner. Read on to learn when and how to test for pregnancy.

Pregnancy tests

A missed period is often the first clue that a woman might be pregnant. Sometimes, a woman might suspect she is pregnant even sooner. Symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and breast tenderness, can occur even before a missed period. The wait to know can be emotional. These days, many women first use home pregnancy tests (HPT) to find out. Your doctor also can test you.

All pregnancy tests work by detecting a special hormone in the urine or blood that is only there when a woman is pregnant. It is called human chorionic gonadotropin(kohr-ee-ON-ihk goh-NAD-uh-TROH-puhn), or hCG. hCG is made when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus. hCG rapidly builds up in your body with each passing day you are pregnant.

Home pregnancy tests

HPTs are inexpensive, private, and easy to use. Most drugstores sell HPTs over the counter. The cost depends on the brand and how many tests come in the box. They work by detecting hCG in your urine. HPTs are highly accurate. But their accuracy depends on many things. These include:

When you use them – The amount of hCG in your urine increases with time. So, the earlier after a missed period you take the test the harder it is to spot the hCG. Some HPTs claim that they can tell if you are pregnant one day after a missed period or even earlier. But a recent study shows that most HPTs don't give accurate results this early in pregnancy. Positive results are more likely to be true than negative results. Waiting one week after a missed period will usually give a more accurate result. You can take the test sooner. But just know that a lot of pregnant women will get negative test results during the first few days after the missed period. It's a good idea to repeat the test again after a week has passed. If you get two negative results but still think you're pregnant, call your doctor.
How you use them – Be sure to check the expiration date and follow the directions. Many involve holding a test stick in the urine stream. For some, you collect urine in a cup and then dip the test stick into it. Then, depending on the brand, you will wait a few minutes to get the results. Research suggests waiting 10 minutes will give the most accurate result. Also, testing your urine first thing in the morning may boost the accuracy. You will be looking for a plus sign, a change in color, or a line. A change, whether bold or faint, means the result is positive. New digital tests show the words "pregnant" or "not pregnant". Most tests also have a "control indicator" in the results window. This line or symbol shows whether or not the test is working. If the control indicator does not appear, the test is not working properly. You should not rely on any results from a HPT that may be faulty.
Who uses them – The amount of hCG in the urine is different for every pregnant woman. So, some women will have accurate results on the day of the missed period while others will need to wait longer. Also, some medicines affect HPTs. Discuss the medicines you use with your doctor before trying to become pregnant.
The brand of test – Some HPT tests are better than others at spotting hCG early on.

The most important part of using any HPT is to follow the directions exactly as written. Most tests also have toll-free phone numbers to call in case of questions about use or results.

If a HPT says you are pregnant, you should call your doctor right away. Your doctor can use a more sensitive test along with a pelvic exam to tell for sure if you're pregnant. Seeing your doctor early on in your pregnancy can help you and your baby stay healthy.

Blood tests

Blood tests are done in a doctor's office. They can pick up hCG earlier in a pregnancy than urine tests can. Blood tests can tell if you are pregnant about six to eight days after you ovulate. Doctors use two types of blood tests to check for pregnancy:

Quantitative blood test (or the beta hCG test) measures the exact amount of hCG in your blood. So it can find even tiny amounts of hCG. This makes it very accurate.
Qualitative hCG blood tests just check to see if the pregnancy hormone is present or not. So it gives a yes or no answer. This blood test is about as accurate as a urine test.

All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and maybe copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.

Page last updated: February 22, 2021

Blood test for pregnancy in the early stages - why you need and how to donate blood

Blood test for pregnancy is a procedure that is necessary to identify existing pathologies. It also allows you to determine the very presence of pregnancy, since it detects the presence in the blood of a woman of a hormone called "chorionic gonadotropin" (hCG).

In a situation where conception has not occurred, this substance is not produced in the patient's body, since its appearance is associated with the formation of the chorion. This is the tissue that occurs between the endometrium and the zygote after the attachment of a fertilized egg to the wall of the uterus.

Reasons for testing

A blood test can show pregnancy as early as six days after a successful conception. Whereas a standard pregnancy test in some cases can give incorrect results. Therefore, tests during pregnancy are prescribed to determine such conditions as:

Establishment of the actual fact of conception
Assessment of hormonal background for failures
Tracking abnormal pregnancy types:

Frozen - in this case, at a certain stage, the embryo stops its development
Ectopic - in this situation, the zygote is not attached to the wall of the uterus, but in the fallopian tube

Also, a blood test shows the presence of infections, other types of body dysfunctions and diseases such as:

Cytomegalovirus
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Herpes
Chlamydia
Hepatitis
Ureaplasmosis
HIV
Mycoplasmosis
Syphilis
Leptospirosis
Chlamydia

Any of these diseases is a danger not only to the body of the woman herself, but also to her unborn child. Therefore, if there are deviations in the results of the blood test, the doctor sends the patient for an additional examination.

Changes in hCG during pregnancy

After the physical onset of conception, the level of hCG in the female body begins to rise, and every two to three days its concentration almost doubles. It reaches its highest level at 8-11 weeks, and then it begins to gradually decrease.

The first analysis can be taken on the 6th day of the expected delay, but the result will be more accurate on the 11-12th day. Therefore, doctors recommend undergoing a blood test two to three times (every two days later).

Monitoring the level of hCG allows you to monitor the dynamics of pregnancy, the appearance of pathologies, etc.:

In ectopic pregnancy, the level of the hormone practically does not increase
If the development of the embryo has stopped, then the level of hCG drops from the moment of its death

Usually the result of the analysis is compared with a special table. In the first or second weeks, the concentration of hCG can range from 25 to 700 units, at the peak of the value it can reach 18,000–240,000 units, and at the end of the gestational age - 2,179-60,000 units.

After establishing the fact of conception, the doctor refers the patient to other blood tests:

General
Biochemical
For clotting
For hepatitis and HIV
For TORCH infections
For genetic pathologies
For Rh factor and blood group (if not previously determined)
For the content of hormones produced by the thyroid gland
Antiphospholipid syndrome
For STDs

Causes of deviation from the norm of the hormone hCG

Normally, after the onset of pregnancy, the level of human chorionic gonadotropin should gradually increase. If it decreases, then the doctor may assume the presence of such problems as:

In the early stages:

Fetal death
Probability of spontaneous termination of pregnancy
Missing embryo in ovum

Late term:

Placental abruption

In some cases, a low level of hCG may be associated with an incorrectly calculated gestational age. Therefore, in order to determine the exact cause of low hormone levels, early pregnancy tests are usually performed, as well as several types of other examinations.

Causes of an increase in hCG levels

In the results of blood tests, the level of hCG can be seriously higher than normal for the following reasons:

Presence of toxicosis
More than one fetus
Occurrence of hydatidiform mole
Presence of genetic problems
Complication due to diabetes mellitus

The level of human chorionic gonadotropin can be increased not only due to pregnancy, but also due to some abnormalities:

Extremely high hCG levels due to hormonal drugs
The presence of a malignant neoplasm in various organs (kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, uterus, lungs, etc.)
Preservation of an unstable hormonal background as a result of an abortion

In rare cases, in the presence of serious hormonal disorders, men can also be found to have elevated levels of hCG.

Preparation for procedure

The following preparations are required before taking hCG tests for pregnant women:

Fasting for 7-8 hours before the procedure
Limiting the intake of any liquid a few hours before the examination

Also tell your doctor if you are taking any medications.

Statistics show that the highest concentration of hCG in the blood is observed in the first half of the day, so the doctor usually prescribes such an analysis in the morning.

If the recommendations are not followed, the study may show an unreliable result, so additional procedures will have to be carried out.

How blood sampling is performed

Blood tests for pregnant women are taken from a vein in the area located on the inside of the arm at the elbow. The procedure is as follows:

The patient sits on a couch or chair and exposes her left or right arm
Medic applying a tourniquet above the elbow
After that, the woman performs several clenching of the palm into a fist
The doctor lubricates the area of the future puncture with a disinfectant
He then inserts the needle into the vein and fills the syringe (about 10 ml of blood is needed for the test)
After that, the tourniquet is removed, and a cotton swab is applied to the puncture area, which the patient must hold with her arm bent at the elbow (this helps to stop the release of fluid from the wound)

After these manipulations, the blood in the test tube is sent to the laboratory for analysis. The results of the analysis can be transferred directly to the attending physician, or issued to the patient. A woman can independently compare these indicators with the values in the tables, but it is recommended to entrust this process to professionals.

Advantages of the procedure at MEDSI

Highly qualified doctors work in the clinics, who not only develop comprehensive examination and treatment programs, but also help to properly prepare for childbirth in case of pregnancy
Special consultation mechanisms have been established for prospective parents
Clinics have their own laboratory for receiving and checking tests, which allows you to get an accurate result in the shortest possible time
For examinations and therapy, modern devices from leading manufacturers from countries such as Japan, USA, Germany, etc. are used.
Originator drugs (not generics) are used

To make an appointment, call 8 (495) 7-800-500 or contact one of the many registries located in Moscow, the region and regions of the Russian Federation.

Do not delay treatment, see a doctor now:

Pregnancy test
Gynecological appointment
Planning and management of pregnancy
Reproductive health

what shows the norm during pregnancy, how and when to take, transcript

June 2, 2020

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Contents

What is HCG?

The role of the hormone in the diagnosis of pregnancy

When should I donate blood for hCG?

How to prepare for the analysis?

HCG test interpretation

How accurate is the hCG test?

An hCG blood test is one of the most important tools for monitoring a developing pregnancy.

What is HCG?

An hCG blood test is a reliable way to determine pregnancy in the early stages. HCG is a protein consisting of two units. Alpha particles of the hormone are similar to biologically active substances secreted by the pituitary gland. Beta particles are unique. The mass of the CG molecule is approximately 46 kDa. During pregnancy, glycoprotein is synthesized in the placenta. The biological properties of CG are in many ways similar to the properties of other hormones: luteinizing and follicle-stimulating. In some malignant diseases, hCG begins to produce tumor cells. In a non-pregnant woman and a healthy man, the hormone is practically absent in blood tests.

In obstetrics and gynecology, the test for b hCG, along with ultrasound, is used to monitor pregnancy throughout the entire period. Deviations in the readings of the analysis are the basis for further examination and require the consultation of a geneticist. An artificial increase in the level of hCG is used in the IVF process. As a result of injections of hCG in women, the maturation and release of the egg is stimulated, the production of estrogen and progesterone increases. In men, the introduction of exogenous hCG activates the growth of the number of spermatozoa.

It is proved that the substance also has the properties of corticotropic hormone. HCG has an effect on the adrenal glands, stimulating the synthesis of steroids in their cortex. Thus, he is involved in preparing the body of a pregnant woman for the upcoming physiological stress. Since the fetus is perceived as foreign by the mother's body, some immunosuppressive influence of hormones, including hCG, is required for its normal development.

HCG promotes the maturation of placental tissues. Thanks to him and other hormones, its functional activity increases and the number of chorionic villi increases.

Without the hormone, the normal development of the embryo is not possible. HCG ensures the production of estrogens and progesterone, and also maintains their balance in the body of the expectant mother. Therefore, any pregnancy support program always contains regular tests for hCG levels.

Urinalysis for hCG (beta particles)

Compared to blood, expectant mother's urine contains less of the hormone. Therefore, determining the concentration of a substance in the urine can diagnose pregnancy only from a period of 8-10 days. Like a laboratory study, pharmacy tests are also based on the determination of hCG in the urine. Home tests have a lower threshold of sensitivity than laboratory tests, and, accordingly, a lower degree of reliability. Their positive result requires a visit to an obstetrician-gynecologist to confirm a normal pregnancy.

Free hCG assay (beta-hCG subunit)

The range of application of this test is quite wide. In oncology, it is in demand as a marker of malignant tumors. Measurement of the number of independent particles of hCG in the blood is informative in relation to testicular cancer in men. In addition, this indicator is important in the diagnosis of trophoblastic tumors in women. It is included in 1 and 2 pregnancy screenings. The study helps to assess the risk of such congenital fetal pathologies as Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome.

The role of the hormone in the diagnosis of pregnancy

An analysis of the amount of total hCG occupies a special place in confirming pregnancy in the early stages. This is due to the fact that the hormone begins to be actively released already a few days after the attachment of the fetal egg to the wall of the uterus. With the normal development of the embryo, the level of the substance doubles every 1.5-2 days. By the tenth week, the amount of hCG in a woman's tests can reach maximum values - up to 225,000 mU / ml.

Simultaneously with the blood for total hCG, other examinations are prescribed for the pregnant woman. So the patient should visit the ultrasound scanning room at least three times. Within nine months, several studies may be required. Comprehensive screenings of the 1st and 2nd trimesters also include an hCG test.

When to donate blood for hCG

A blood test for the hormone is given as needed. The hCG test is prescribed for the first time directly during the diagnosis of pregnancy itself. The second is as part of screening with ultrasound and other tests. Screening is designed to identify a risk group for congenital fetal pathologies among pregnant women.

Approximate dates of studies on hCG:

confirmation of pregnancy - from the 6th day after conception;
first - from 11 to 13 weeks;
second from 19 to 23 weeks;
3rd trimester screening is done after 28 weeks of gestation.

How to prepare for a blood test

Preparing for an hCG test involves a number of standard requirements for hormone testing. The analysis is given on an empty stomach, after an overnight fast in the morning or afternoon. You should come to the treatment room in good health. In order for the results of the hCG test to be as reliable as possible, it is recommended in 2-3 days: