What Does My hCG Level Mean? (2024)

FAQs

What Does My hCG Level Mean? ›

hCG is a hormone that plays an important role in pregnancy, and levels can vary widely at this time and between individuals. Outside pregnancy, a high hCG level may be a sign of a health condition, such as cancer or liver disease. The full name of this hormone is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

Urine pregnancy tests can detect hCG levels when they reach 20 to 50 milli-international units/mL, while blood tests are positive at 5 milli-international units/mL, Lamppa says. That typically translates to getting a positive urine pregnancy test around the time your period is due.

hCG under 5 mIU/ml: Not pregnant. hCG between 5-25 mIU/ml: “Inconclusive”. Repeat test in a couple of days. hCG over 25 mIU/ml: pregnant.

An hCG level of less than 5 mIU/mL is considered negative for pregnancy, and anything above 25 mIU/mL is considered positive for pregnancy. An hCG level between 6 and 24 mIU/mL is considered a grey area, and you'll likely need to be retested to see if your levels rise to confirm a pregnancy.

Low levels of hCG can indicate whether a pregnancy is in a stage where low hCG levels are normal, such as in very early pregnancy, or in a pregnancy that is post-11 weeks. Sometimes, in cases of miscalculated gestational age, the level of hCG may be lower than expected but not abnormal for the pregnancy.

Lower-than-average hCG levels are not always a cause for concern. However, your doctor will likely want to conduct further testing to assess the health of your pregnancy. This may involve additional hCG testing and an ultrasound.

Urine hCG testing is qualitative, reporting a positive or negative result. The assays detect hCG levels typically starting at 20 to 50 (reportedly as low as 6.3 to 12.5)[19] mIU/mL, corresponding to levels at approximately 4 weeks post-conception. Serum assays can measure beta-hCG as low as 1 to 2 mIU/mL.

This is common and has everything to do with your human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels. HCG is the same hormone that confirms pregnancy from urine on a pregnancy test. Your hCG levels should be around 1,500 to 2,000 at 5 weeks pregnant, but it may be difficult to see anything until hCG exceeds 2,000.

What is a good first hCG level? ›

With detailed statistical analysis (ROC curve) they concluded that an hCG level of 76 mIU/mL was a suitable cut-off point for predicting viable pregnancy with 80% sensitivity and 82% specificity.

HCG levels higher than 5 million international units per milliliter (mIU/mL) typically indicate pregnancy. Your first test result is considered a baseline level. This level can range from very small amounts of hCG (such as 20 mIU/mL or even lower) to larger amounts (such as 2,500 mIU/mL).

If hCG levels fall or plateau early in the first trimester, doctors may suspect a potential pregnancy loss. That's because miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and blighted ovum are associated with low or slow-rising hCG levels.

In general, a baseline beta hCG of <5 mIU/mL taken approximately 12-14 days from expected conception is considered negative for pregnancy. Baseline beta hCG >25 mIU/mL taken approximately 12-14 days from expected conception is considered positive for pregnancy.

Range of hCG levels and what they can mean

The range for singletons is 5 – 397 and for twins it is 48 – 683. As you can see, there is a big overlap between the first hCG level in singleton and twins. What this means is that even if you have a first hCG level of 397, it could be a singleton pregnancy.

An at-home test uses your pee to look for HCG. They contain special strips that detect HCG. Most at-home pregnancy tests are about 99% effective when used correctly. That's about the same accuracy rate as pregnancy tests done in your healthcare provider's office.

It can be tempting to try remedies or foods that purportedly help raise your hCG levels. Unfortunately, there's no way to change your hCG levels or make them go up. What's more, hCG levels reflect information about your pregnancy, but changing them wouldn't address the cause of any potential problems.

About 11-14 days after implantation, a woman's hCG levels are high enough to start causing early pregnancy symptoms. Some of these might include fatigue, food cravings, darkening in the color of the nipples, or gastrointestinal changes. When a woman experiences these symptoms, a pregnancy test may show up positive.

The test is performed by taking a sample of blood and measuring the level of hCG in it. It may be repeated several times over a period of days/weeks to monitor whether the hormone level rises or falls with time, helping us to give you a clearer picture of what is happening in your pregnancy.