Pregnancy tests - whether home tests or blood tests - measure hcg levels in early pregnancy. Pregnancy tests will show a positive result if hcg is detected. Hcg stands for "human chorionic gonadotropin", which is measured in milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/ml).
When is Hcg Detected?
Hcg levels in early pregnancy can be detected approximately 11 days after conception by a blood test, and about 12-14 days after conception by a home pregnancy test, or urine test. In general, the hcg levels in early pregnancy should double every 48 hours in early pregnancy to indicate a viable pregnancy. This rate will increase to every 96 hours after a few weeks.
This doubling rate will eventually slow down as the pregnancy progresses. It peaks arounds 8-11 weeks, and then slows down and levels off for the rest of the pregnancy. After about 12 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta takes over in nourishing the baby.
If the hcg level is less than 5mIU/ml, a negative pregnancy test will result. A positive result will show with anything above 25mIU/ml.
The Rate of Increase Is What Counts For A Healthy Pregnancy!
Try not to read too much into the exact hcg numbers - it's the rate at which these numbers double that is important. Sometimes a completely healthy pregnancy will have low hcg levels in early pregnancy. An ultrasound is much more accurate than using exact hcg numbers.
HCG Levels Chart
To get a general idea of the level of hcg at various stages in early pregnancy, follow this chart:
- Lisa Simonelli Rennie, author of complete-pregnancy-guide.com. This website has all the info you need on conception, pregnancy, childbirth and labor, including a week by week guide.
Visit www.complete-pregnancy-guide.com
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