Results The human chorionic gonadotropin hCG test is done to measure the amount of the hormone hCG in blood or urine to see if a woman is pregnant. Normal These numbers are just a guide. It can also mean a molar pregnancy or Down syndrome. You may also be further along in an early pregnancy than you thought, based on your last menstrual period. In a man or a nonpregnant woman, a high hCG level can be a sign of a tumor cancerous or noncancerous.
These tumors can develop from a sperm or egg cell germ cell tumor , such as a tumor of the testicles or ovaries. It may also mean some types of cancer, such as cancer of the stomach, pancreas , large intestine, liver, or lung. Low values If you are pregnant, a low level of hCG can mean an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage. It may also mean that you aren't as far along in an early pregnancy as you thought, based on your last menstrual period LMP. If you are pregnant, levels of hCG that are going down abnormally can mean a miscarriage spontaneous abortion is very likely.
What Affects the Test You may not be able to have the test, or the results may not be helpful, if: You do your urine test for hCG very early in pregnancy during the first week after implantation or on a urine sample taken in the middle of the day. The test may not always show an early pregnancy.
You have had a miscarriage spontaneous abortion or therapeutic abortion. HCG results may stay high positive for up to 4 weeks after a miscarriage or therapeutic abortion.
You got an injection of hCG to treat infertility. This may cause test results to appear high for several days after the injection. There is blood in the urine sample or soap in the collecting container. These can change the hCG level.
You use diuretics or promethazine. These medicines can cause false low hCG levels in urine test results. You use heparin, a medicine to prevent blood from clotting anticoagulant. You use certain medicines.
These include hypnotics such as Ambien , antipsychotics, and antinausea medicines such as prochlorperazine. Be sure to tell your doctor what medicines you take. To learn more, see the topic Home Pregnancy Tests.
A blood test for hCG is generally more accurate than a urine test. If you still think you're pregnant even after your urine test results do not show a pregnancy negative results , you can try a blood test.
Or you can repeat the urine test in a week. A normal hCG value does not rule out the possibility of a tumor in the uterus, ovaries, or testicles. HCG is only one part of a group of tests when a tumor is suspected. Screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities.
Obstetrics and Gynecology , 1 : — Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests , 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Mosby's Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests, 4th ed. Louis: Mosby Elsevier. Wapner RJ, et al. Prenatal diagnosis of congenital disorders. In RK Creasy et al. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier. Credits Current as of: October 8, Top of the page Next Section: Health Tools. Previous Section: References Top of the page.
Current as of: October 8, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , reaffirmed Obstetrics and Gynecology , 1 : Testicle Female Reproductive System Pancreas. Pregnant women, 1 week of gestation about 3 weeks after the last menstrual period :. Pregnant women, 2 weeks of gestation about 4 weeks after the LMP :. Pregnant women, 3 weeks of gestation about 5 weeks after the LMP :.
Pregnant women, 4 weeks of gestation about 6 weeks after the LMP :. There are many reasons you might consider donating your eggs. Learn more about the egg donation process, including possible risks, legal…. The biological clock describes the pressure people may feel to get pregnant while at the peak of their reproductive years, before fertility declines. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common cause of infertility. We'll discuss why and what you can do. At 21 years old, my motivation to donate was simple: I wanted to help a couple achieve their dream of becoming parents.
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Take our quiz to find out the cause…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. Your doctor may refer to the hCG blood test by another name, such as the: beta-hCG blood test quantitative blood pregnancy test quantitative hCG blood test quantitative serial beta-hCG test repeat quantitative beta-hCG test There are important differences between hCG blood tests and the hCG urine tests that you can purchase over the counter.
What is human chorionic gonadotropin hCG? Why is the hCG blood test performed? The hCG blood test is performed to: confirm pregnancy determine the approximate age of the fetus diagnose an abnormal pregnancy, such as an ectopic pregnancy diagnose a potential miscarriage screen for Down syndrome The hCG blood test is sometimes used to screen for pregnancy before you undergo certain medical treatments that could potentially harm a developing baby.
Are there reasons besides pregnancy for hCG testing? Cancers that can cause higher-than-normal hCG levels include: cancer of the uterus, or choriocarcinoma lung cancer breast cancer ovarian cancer Noncancerous conditions, such as cirrhosis , ulcers , and inflammatory bowel disease IBD , can also result in hCG levels being elevated.
In men Although hCG is closely associated with pregnant women, the hormone can also be present in men. How is the hCG blood test performed? The quantitative test measures the level of hCG hormone in a blood sample. A healthcare professional takes a blood sample by following these steps: An elastic band is wrapped around your upper arm to stop the blood flow and to make the veins in your arm more visible.
This is so the needle can be inserted easier. A vein is located and the skin around the vein is cleaned with alcohol. The needle is inserted into the vein and a tube is attached to the end of the needle to collect the blood. After enough blood is collected, the elastic band is removed from your arm. As the needle is removed, cotton or gauze is placed onto the puncture site. HCG levels begin rising when an embryo implants in the uterus.
Implantation usually happens a week or so after ovulation. It can take several days for HCG levels to rise high enough for a test to detect the hormone. Due to how long it takes for HCG levels to rise, it is possible for a woman to be pregnant and still get a negative test. A positive result usually appears after retesting a few days later. False-positive results are rare. However, because home pregnancy tests are increasingly sensitive, some can detect very early pregnancies with low HCG levels.
This sensitivity means it is possible to have a positive test that a very early miscarriage then follows. A woman who delayed testing or who used a less sensitive test might not have known about the miscarriage. In rare cases , a woman can have abnormally high levels of HCG even though they are not pregnant. The most common reasons for this include:.
In addition to testing too early, the following factors can cause a false negative with a urine HCG test:. Tests that have passed their expiry date may produce false positives or negatives.
Reused tests are not accurate. HCG tests are very safe. The urine test is risk-free. The blood test can cause brief pain and occasional bruising at the puncture site.
Urine HCG tests often return false-negative results, particularly very early in pregnancy. This can be stressful and demoralizing to people struggling to become pregnant. Blood tests are typically more accurate, though even these may fail to pick up low levels of HCG in early pregnancy.
It is also possible to get an early positive result. Some women get positive tests very early in pregnancy and then have a miscarriage a few days later. If they had not had an early HCG test, they might not have known they were pregnant.
This can be a stressful and alarming experience, with some people experiencing intense grief over the lost pregnancy.
Most people first learn about a pregnancy through a home HCG pregnancy test, and many confirm that the pregnancy is healthy with blood HCG testing. Though imperfect, the test is typically reliable, particularly as a pregnancy progresses. The information that a single HCG test provides cannot differentiate between ectopic pregnancies, molar pregnancies, or other pregnancy complications.
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