HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy, and its levels can be measured through a qualitative or quantitative blood test. The latter can determine due date and potential problems, such as miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Abnormal levels may require further testing and medical imaging.
When a woman becomes pregnant, her body begins producing the hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) to form and maintain a placenta around the developing egg. A qualitative blood or urine test simply measures whether HCG is present and is the common method of testing for pregnancy. A quantitative blood test, in contrast, will measure the levels at which HCG appears to determine the approximate due date and whether abnormalities or miscarriage could occur.
HCG levels rise in a fairly predictable schedule until women are about five months pregnant, and then that level is maintained until birth. According to the American Pregnancy Association, about 85 percent of pregnant women will have HCG levels doubling every two to three days, until the end of the first trimester, when those levels start taking about four days to double. Because these numbers are fairly predictable, doctors may order a quantitative blood test to measure the likelihood of a variety of problems.
The National Institutes of Health maintains a list of appropriate ranges of quantitative blood test levels, based on the range of weeks a woman became pregnant. If the test reveals HCG levels that are too low, it could mean miscarriage, partial miscarriage, or an ectopic pregnancy, which means the fetus is developing outside the uterus. Another set of potential problems, or surprises, could be signaled if levels are too high, from cancer and moles to twins or more than two fetuses developing at the same time.
A quantitative blood test is used in conjunction with other tests if Down syndrome is suspected. It is also regularly used to determine a woman’s due date before an ultrasound can more accurately determine this date. This test can have several names, depending on the laboratory and the doctor who prescribes it. Serial beta HCG and quantitative repeat beta HCG are other common names for this test.
If a quantitative blood test reveals HCG levels that are too high or too low, doctors will start focusing on the specific problem. Medical imaging and further blood tests might be ordered to identify the specific condition a patient is experiencing. Follow-up tests, especially an ultrasound at five or six weeks, may reveal that there is no problem, as some women have abnormal levels of HCG and give birth to healthy babies.
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