Can hcg test for ectopic pregnancy?

When it comes to ectopic pregnancy, many people are familiar with it. Ectopic pregnancy has a great impact on women's bodies, and if a woman has this problem several times during her pregnancy, it will also be harmful to her pregnancy. After the first ectopic pregnancy, women must take precautions against this problem when they become pregnant again. But can hcg be used to test for ectopic pregnancy? This is something many women do not understand. Let me introduce it in detail below.

Can hcg test for ectopic pregnancy?

Generally, the β-HCG radioimmunoassay value of a normal person is less than 3.1. If it exceeds 5, the possibility of conception can be considered. If it exceeds 10, pregnancy can be basically confirmed. HCG can rise to greater than 2500IU/L 35-50 days after pregnancy. The urine -HCG of women with multiple pregnancies is often higher than that of women with single pregnancies. Serum HCG should return to normal 9 days after delivery or 25 days after artificial abortion. If this situation is not met, the possibility of abnormality should be considered.

The hcg value alone cannot be used to diagnose ectopic pregnancy, and further examination must be done in combination with other testing methods to confirm it. And it must be judged by continuously checking the HCG value. In normal pregnancy in the early stages of pregnancy, the blood HCG monitoring value doubles, but ectopic pregnancy does not have this feature to serve as a basis for differentiation. If a woman finds out that it is an ectopic pregnancy, it is best to cooperate with a B-ultrasound examination to diagnose whether it is an ectopic pregnancy.

Methods for detecting ectopic pregnancy

Posterior fornix puncture. Since blood in the abdominal cavity is most likely to accumulate in the rectouterine pouch, even if the amount of blood is not large, it can be sucked out through posterior fornix puncture. Use an 18-gauge long needle to pierce the rectouterine pouch from the posterior fornix of the vagina. Aspirating dark red, non-coagulated blood is a positive result, indicating the presence of intra-abdominal blood.

Pregnancy test. When the embryo is alive or the trophoblast cells are viable, the syncytial cells secrete hCG and the pregnancy test may be positive. Since the hCG level in patients with ectopic pregnancy is lower than that in normal pregnancy, the general hCG determination method has a low positive rate, and a more sensitive β-hCG radioimmunoassay or monoclonal antibody enzyme-labeled method must be used for detection.

Ultrasound diagnosis. In early tubal pregnancy, B-ultrasound images show an enlarged uterus, but an empty uterine cavity and a low-echo area beside the uterus. This image is not the sonographic feature of tubal pregnancy, and the possibility of early intrauterine pregnancy with corpus luteum of pregnancy needs to be excluded. Ultrasound detection of the gestational sac and fetal heartbeat is very important for diagnosing ectopic pregnancy. If the pregnancy is located outside the uterus, it can be diagnosed as an ectopic pregnancy; if the gestational sac is located inside the uterus, ectopic pregnancy can usually be ruled out. B-ultrasound has important clinical significance for early diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy, as it can show protrusion of one uterine horn, local thickening of the muscle layer, and an obvious gestational sac inside.

Laparoscopy. Laparoscopic examination can be used if conditions permit and when necessary.

Endometrial pathology examination. Diagnostic curettage is only suitable for patients with heavy vaginal bleeding and is intended to exclude intrauterine pregnancy. Uterine discharge should be routinely sent for pathological examination. If villi are seen in the section, it can be diagnosed as intrauterine pregnancy. If only decidua is seen without villi, although ectopic pregnancy should be considered, it cannot be confirmed.

After understanding whether hcg can be used to test for ectopic pregnancy, women can follow the above method when conducting ectopic pregnancy testing. However, during the hcg test for ectopic pregnancy, women must actively cooperate. If they do not cooperate with the examination, they will not know whether they have ectopic pregnancy. This is also something to note.