What is the normal hcg value for early pregnancy?

The hcg value is a manifestation of abnormality in the human chorionic villus of a woman's body. In the early stages of a woman's pregnancy, as the body's endocrine system changes, human chorionic villus, called hcg, will appear. Early pregnancy can be detected through a female urine test. Generally, an increase in a woman's hcg value indicates that she is pregnant.

What does hCG mean?

hCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, which is composed of α and β dimers of glycoprotein. After a woman becomes pregnant, the hCG originally present in her blood and urine will fluctuate as the gestational age increases. Therefore, whether a woman is pregnant can be determined based on the changes in hCG.

The human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) test is currently the most advanced pregnancy test. Common test methods include blood hCG test and urine hCG test. This test determines whether a woman is pregnant by checking the presence of β-subunits in the blood and urine.

The hCG blood test can be done 8-10 days after sexual intercourse, which is earlier than the qualitative test of urine by ordinary early pregnancy test strips, so corresponding countermeasures can be taken earlier for pregnancy.

Normal hCG value

The normal value of blood hCG is <10μg/L, and the normal value of β-hCG is <3.1μg/L. β-hCG is a part of hCG. Generally, the β-hCG radioimmunoassay value of a normal woman is less than 3.1. If it exceeds 5, the possibility of pregnancy can be considered. If it exceeds 10, pregnancy can be basically confirmed.

The absolute values ​​of serum hCG vary greatly at different stages of pregnancy and between pregnant women. They are not comparable with each other and can only be compared within themselves. During the first 3 months of pregnancy, hCG levels approximately double every 2.2±0.5 days.

When should blood hCG be tested?

The hCG blood test is currently the most accurate and earliest pregnancy test. Under normal circumstances, a blood hCG test can be done 8-10 days after intercourse to confirm whether you are pregnant.

When should blood hCG be tested?

Blood hCG test can be used to determine early pregnancy and diagnose related diseases. Therefore, the purpose is different and the time of the test is also different:

1. Confirm pregnancy - the earliest can be 8-10 days after intercourse

The best time to test hCG blood is 8-10 days after intercourse. At this time, the test can be used as a pregnancy test to confirm pregnancy. At the same time, in the first 3 months of pregnancy, this test can also be used to diagnose single or multiple pregnancies.

2. Diagnosis of abnormal pregnancy - test whether the hCG content doubles every 2 days

After a woman becomes pregnant, an increase in the β-hCG value in the blood can be detected from the 9th to 11th day, and the β-hCG value can double every two days thereafter. If the test shows that the increase rate is slow for two consecutive times, it may be caused by factors such as ectopic pregnancy, abnormal embryo or intrauterine growth retardation.

If the abnormal pregnancy is a hydatidiform mole, the hCG concentration in the serum will be much higher than the value in the corresponding month of a normal pregnancy. Therefore, this difference can be used as an auxiliary diagnosis of hydatidiform mole, which is usually performed in the first 3 months of pregnancy.

3. Down syndrome screening - 15-20 weeks of pregnancy

Down syndrome screening detects the levels of AFP and β-hCG in venous blood and comprehensively calculates the risk of the fetus having Down syndrome. The best time to do this test is between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy.

4. Determination of miscarriage: 4 days after delivery or 13 days after artificial abortion

Since the fetus has been delivered, the woman's blood hCG test should return to normal 4 days after delivery or 13 days after artificial abortion. If this is not the case, the following possibilities should be considered:

One is incomplete abortion, after the abortion, there may still be embryonic tissue in the body of the woman;

Second, there may be remnants of placenta or fetal membranes in the body of postpartum women, or the women themselves may suffer from trophoblastic disease.

Blood hCG test function

The accuracy of blood hCG test in determining whether a woman is pregnant is over 99%. In addition, for multiple pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies, etc., a correct judgment can be made through comprehensive analysis combined with clinical conditions and other examination results.

What is the use of blood hCG test

Blood hCG values ​​are widely used in the diagnosis of multiple pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies, abnormal embryos, fetal growth retardation, and hydatidiform mole. For certain endocrine diseases or tumors, blood hCG values ​​can be combined with clinical conditions and other examination results, and medical judgments can be made through comprehensive analysis.

1. Pregnancy test

As an auxiliary means of early pregnancy detection, the working principle of pregnancy test is to detect the hCG value and determine whether the person being tested is pregnant by measuring the hCG content in urine or blood. After a normal woman becomes pregnant, the hCG level in her blood increases rapidly. 35-50 days after pregnancy, hCG can rise to greater than 2500 IU/L. It can reach 80,000 IU/L in 60-70 days. The hCG value reaches its peak at 60-80 days of pregnancy, then gradually decreases, reaching the lowest at 160-180 days of pregnancy, but is still significantly higher than normal, and then rises slightly and continues to maintain until delivery. In twin pregnancies, blood hCG is more than doubled that of a single pregnancy.

2. Judgment of abnormal pregnancy

① Ectopic pregnancy (ectopic pregnancy)

The β-hCG level in the blood of normal pregnant women will double every 2 days. If the result of blood draw 2 days later shows that the growth of β-hCG is less than 66%, that is, the blood hCG test is lower than the normal level of intrauterine pregnancy, but higher than the hCG level when not pregnant, the possibility of ectopic pregnancy should be suspected.

②Abnormal pregnancy disease (hydatidiform mole)

When it is a hydatidiform mole, the trophoblast proliferates highly and produces a large amount of hCG. The blood hCG value is usually higher than the normal pregnancy value for the corresponding gestational age, and continues to rise as the uterus grows after 12 weeks of amenorrhea. However, in a few hydatidiform moles, especially partial hydatidiform moles, the hCG increase is not obvious due to villous degeneration.

③One of the bases for whether to continue pregnancy preservation treatment

If hCG continues to decrease, it means that it is not advisable to continue preserving the pregnancy. If hCG continues to rise, it means that the pregnancy preservation is successful. If the hCG level in the blood of a woman in early pregnancy is significantly low (below 2500 IU/L) or shows a downward trend during continuous monitoring, there is a possibility of miscarriage or stillbirth.

3. Diagnosis and treatment of miscarriage

If the abortion is not complete, such as there is still placental tissue remaining in the uterus, the hCG test may still be positive; in the case of complete miscarriage or stillbirth, hCG will turn from positive to negative, so the blood hCG value can be used as a reference for suction treatment.

4. Diagnosis and treatment monitoring of trophoblastic tumors

Menopause, ovulation and bilateral oophorectomy can all lead to elevated luteinizing hormone levels. Endocrine diseases such as pituitary disease, hyperthyroidism, and gynecological diseases such as ovarian cysts and uterine cancer can also increase hCG levels. In recent years, it has been found that the hCG level in the blood of malignant tumors such as tachycardia, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer may also be elevated. Therefore, hCG is regarded as one of the cancer markers.