All About hCG Levels: Everything You Need to Know

What Are hCG Levels?

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a pregnancy hormone made by the placenta during pregnancy. This hormone plays a very important role in the first trimester of pregnancy; hCG confirms the pregnancy during blood and urine tests.

HCG increases rapidly in the first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy; it almost doubles every 3 days. Doctors monitor the rise of hCG levels in early pregnancy to confirm its progress.

Presence of high hCG levels in someone who is not pregnant can be a sign of cancer. In some rare cases, germ cell tumours or cancer cells can cause the body to produce hCG. Doctors sometimes use hCG tests to help diagnose cancer, track cancer treatment or check for cancer recurrence.

Why Are hCG Levels Important During Pregnancy?

HCG levels are important during pregnancy for the following reasons:

• The presence of hCG hormone in blood and urine tests confirms the pregnancy.
• Its slow decline or sudden drop from the reports can help in identifying complications like ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage.
• An unexpected rise in the hCG levels can help identify complications like molar pregnancy.

What Level of hCG Indicates Pregnancy?

An hCG level more than 25 milli-international units per millilitre (mIU/mL) mostly means the person is pregnant. But the doctors can check again in a few days to see if the level rises, which confirms the pregnancy.

HCG Levels by Week of Pregnancy

What Do High hCG Levels Mean?

High hCG levels mean:

• The pregnancy is further than expected
• Chances of having more than one baby
• There might be molar pregnancy or other gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTD)

What Do Low hCG Levels Mean?

Low hCG levels can mean the following:

• Anembryonic pregnancy
• Pregnancy Loss
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Miscalculated dates

Should hCG Level Get Checked Regularly?

Regular checking of hCG levels is not required in a healthy pregnancy. Doctors might not recommend regular hCG level checkups unless there is a complication or medical reason to do so.

Doctors can recheck the levels if someone is bleeding, experiencing heavy cramps, or has a history of miscarriages.

What Can Interfere With hCG Levels?

If someone has a positive test result, they are most likely pregnant. False positive results are rare, but there are certain conditions that might lead to a false positive result, like certain types of cancer or early miscarriage. Some medications can also interfere with the results.

Medications that already contain hCG can mess with hCG results as well. These medications are usually used for infertility treatments, and doctors might proactively advise them how the medications are going to affect their test.

Medications like antibiotics, pain relievers, contraception or other hormone medications might not affect a hCG test.

Can hCG Levels Alone Confirm a Healthy Pregnancy?

No, hCG tests help to detect a pregnancy and monitor hormone level changes over time. Doctors will require ultrasound reports, symptoms, medical history, and physical examination, along with hCG reports to determine pregnancy health.

How is hCG Used for Fertility?

HCG plays a very crucial role in fertility treatments like IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) or IUI (Intrauterine Insemination). In these treatments, hCG is injected to trigger ovulation by helping the mature egg release from the ovary at the right time. Some people might receive hCG injections after ovulation to help support implantation.

What does hCG do in Males?

HCG helps treat conditions like:

• Low testosterone
• Male infertility
• Undescended testicles

When Should Someone Speak to a Doctor About Their hCG Levels?

Most people are unaware of their hCG levels unless they see their test results. Doctors check the hCG levels early in pregnancy, but don’t continue to check it unless there’s a reason to. People need to contact a doctor if they have questions about their hCG test results.