What hcg level indicates pregnancy

A quantitative human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) test measures the specific level of HCG in the blood. HCG is a hormone produced in the body during pregnancy.

Other HCG tests include:

• HCG urine test
• HCG blood test -- qualitative

Alternative Names

Serial beta HCG; Repeat quantitative beta HCG; Human chorionic gonadotropin blood test - quantitative; Beta-HCG blood test - quantitative; Pregnancy test - blood - quantitative

How the Test is Performed

A blood sample is needed. This is most often taken from a vein. The procedure is called a venipuncture.

How to Prepare for the Test

No special preparation is needed.

How the Test will Feel

When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain. Others feel only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.

Why the Test is Performed

HCG appears in the blood and urine of pregnant women as early as 10 days after conception. Quantitative HCG measurement helps determine the exact age of the fetus. It can also assist in the diagnosis of abnormal pregnancies, such as ectopic pregnancies, molar pregnancies, and possible miscarriages. It is also used as part of a screening test for Down syndrome.

This test is also done to diagnose abnormal conditions not related to pregnancy that can raise HCG level.

Normal Results

Results are given in milli-international units per milliliter (mUI/mL).

Normal levels are found in:

• Non-pregnant women: less than 5 mIU/mL
• Healthy men: less than 2 mIU/mL

In pregnancy, HCG level rises rapidly during the first trimester and then declines slightly. The expected HCG ranges in pregnant women are based on the length of the pregnancy.

• 3 weeks: 5 - 72 mIU/mL
• 4 weeks: 10 -708 mIU/mL
• 5 weeks: 217 - 8,245 mIU/mL
• 6 weeks: 152 - 32,177 mIU/mL
• 7 weeks: 4,059 - 153,767 mIU/mL
• 8 weeks: 31,366 - 149,094 mIU/mL
• 9 weeks: 59,109 - 135,901 mIU/mL
• 10 weeks: 44,186 - 170,409 mIU/mL
• 12 weeks: 27,107 - 201,165 mIU/mL
• 14 weeks: 24,302 - 93,646 mIU/mL
• 15 weeks: 12,540 - 69,747 mIU/mL
• 16 weeks: 8,904 - 55,332 mIU/mL
• 17 weeks: 8,240 - 51,793 mIU/mL
• 18 weeks: 9,649 - 55,271 mIU/mL

Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test result.

What Abnormal Results Mean

Higher than normal level may indicate:

• More than one fetus, for example, twins or triplets
• Choriocarcinoma of the uterus
• Hydatidiform mole of the uterus
• Ovarian cancer
• Testicular cancer (in men)

During pregnancy, lower than normal levels based on the gestational age may indicate:

• Fetal death
• Incomplete miscarriage
• Threatened spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
• Ectopic pregnancy

Risks

Risks of having blood drawn are slight, but may include:

• Excessive bleeding
• Fainting or feeling lightheaded
• Blood accumulating under the skin (hematoma)
• Infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)

References

Jain S, Pincus MR, Bluth MH, McPherson RA, Bowne WB, Lee P. Diagnosis and management of cancer using serological and other body fluid markers. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 23rd ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2017:chap 74.

Jeelani R, Bluth MH. Reproductive function and pregnancy. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 23rd ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2017:chap 25.

University of Iowa Diagnostic Laboratories. Test directory: HCG - pregnancy, serum, quantitative. www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/path_handbook/rhandbook/test1549.html. Updated December 14, 2017. Accessed February 18, 2019.

Yarbrough ML, Stout M, Gronowski AM. Pregnancy and its disorders. In: Rifai N, ed. Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. 6th ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2018:chap 69.

Review Date: 09/25/2018

No test is 100 percent accurate every time.

The hCG test can give both false-negative results and false-positive results for pregnancy. Your doctor will help you figure out your results or perform follow-up testing if there’s any doubt.

Certain medications, including those that contain hCG, can interfere with hCG blood test results. These include fertility drugs such as Profasi, Pregnyl, and Pergonal.

Smoking marijuana can also result in elevated hCG levels.

Test results can also be influenced by the presence of germ cell tumors. Germ cell tumors can be cancerous or benign, and they’re usually found in the reproductive organs. These tumors grow in the same cells as your eggs or sperm.

A high hCG level in absence of pregnancy could indicate that your doctor needs to do more testing to see if cancer is a factor.

False-negative results

If an hCG test comes back negative, that generally means you’re not pregnant.

However, if the test was performed too early in the pregnancy, before your body has had time to produce enough hCG, you can get a false negative.

If there’s a false-negative test result, the test indicates that a woman isn’t pregnant, when in fact she is.

Because hCG levels change so quickly during early pregnancy, the hCG blood test should be repeated within 48 to 72 hours to observe how the hormone level is changing.

False-positive results

On the other hand, hCG can be present in some nonpregnant conditions, potentially causing a false-positive hCG pregnancy test.

If there’s a false-positive test result, the test indicates that a woman is pregnant, when in fact she isn’t.

It’s also possible to get a false-positive result if your body produces certain types of antibodies that have fragments of the hCG molecule, or if there were errors in the lab.

If there’s any doubt about the results, a different testing method can be used to confirm.