What is hcg in gynecological examination

As we all know, a woman's pregnancy is a relatively important matter and it is also full of special significance for a family. Therefore, for the health of pregnant women and babies, it is necessary to go to the hospital for regular prenatal check-ups. Many pregnant women who go to the hospital for prenatal check-ups will be asked by doctors to do an HCG test. So what exactly is HCG? What is the significance of the inspection? This article will briefly introduce these two aspects.

What does HCG mean?

HCG refers to 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 35-day test required by ordinary early pregnancy test strips to qualitatively detect urine. Therefore, the hCG blood pregnancy test can help you take appropriate countermeasures for pregnancy earlier.

What does HCG test mean

The examination of hCG is of great significance for the diagnosis of early pregnancy, and has certain value in the diagnosis, differentiation and course observation of pregnancy-related diseases, trophoblastic tumors and other diseases.

1. Diagnosis of early pregnancy: hCG can rise to greater than 2500 IU/L 35 to 50 days after pregnancy. It can reach 80,000 IU/L in 60 to 70 days. The urine hCG in multiple pregnancies is often higher than that in single pregnancies.

2. Determination of abnormal pregnancy and placental function:

(1) Ectopic pregnancy: In the case of ectopic pregnancy, this test has a positive rate of only 60%. hCG may still be positive 3 days after uterine bleeding, so hCG examination can be used to differentiate it from other acute abdominal diseases. hCG is usually 312-625 IU/L.

(2) Diagnosis and treatment of miscarriage: In the case of incomplete miscarriage, if there is still placental tissue remaining in the uterus, the hCG test may still be positive. In the case of complete miscarriage or stillbirth, the hCG test will turn from positive to negative, so it can be used as a reference for preserving the fetus or aspirating the uterus.

(3) Premature abortion: If the hCG level in urine remains high, inevitable abortion will not occur. If hCG is below 2500 IU/L and gradually decreases, there is a possibility of miscarriage or stillbirth. When it drops to 600 IU/L, miscarriage is inevitable. During the treatment to preserve pregnancy, if hCG continues to decrease, it means that the pregnancy preservation is ineffective. If hCG continues to rise, it means that the pregnancy preservation is successful.

(4) On the 4th day after delivery or 13th day after artificial abortion, serum hCG should be lower than 1000 IU/L, and on the 9th day after delivery or 25th day after artificial abortion, serum hCG should return to normal. If this situation is not met, the possibility of abnormality should be considered.