How Soon Can HCG Be Detected in the Body?

When pregnancy occurs, a woman's body makes a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. The hormone is manufactured by the cells that create the placenta. According to the American Pregnancy Association, hCG levels during early pregnancy will double every 48 to 72 hours in approximately 85 percent of normal pregnancies. The level eventually will peak during weeks 12 to 14 of pregnancy, and then decline before leveling off at lower numbers for the rest of the pregnancy.

  1. HCG Measurements

    • The hCG hormone is measured in milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/ml).

    Detection

    • HCG is the hormone detected in pregnancy tests. American Pregnancy Association states that hCG levels can first be detected through very sensitive hCG tests used by physicians as early as seven to eight days post-ovulation, and by urine tests between 12 and 14 days post-ovulation. HCG ranges can vary in normal pregnancies, but according to the website Stages in Pregnancy, hCG levels for singleton pregnancies should be between 0 and 5 mIU/ml at seven days post-ovulation, and between 5 and 426 mIU/ml at 14 days post-ovulation.

    HCG Tests vs. Ultrasounds

    • Sometimes a woman can have low hCG levels and maintain a pregnancy that results in the birth of a healthy baby. The American Pregnancy Association states that ultrasounds administered at five to six weeks gestation are more accurate than tests that detect hCG levels. Ultrasounds performed as early as five weeks gestation should provide the doctor with positive proof of a viable pregnancy since he or she will be able to see a yolk sac, which is an indicator of an intrauterine pregnancy.

    Low and High HCG Level Possibilities

    • There are two types of tests administered for the evaluation of hCG levels. One is the qualitative test to determine if hCG is present in the blood. The other is a quantitative test to measure how much hCG is in the blood. Women with hCG levels lower or higher than normal should be retested after several days to determine the change in numbers and assess the progression of the pregnancy. A woman with low hCG levels could have miscalculated the conception date or could have a possible miscarriage, a blighted ovum or an ectopic pregnancy. High hCG levels could designate a misidentification of conception date, a molar pregnancy or a pregnancy with multiple embryos.

    Medication Interference with HCG Levels

    • The Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago states that women receiving an hCG hormone injection as treatment for infertility may have to wait between five and 14 days after it was administered to get an accurate reading of a pregnancy test. This extra time will allow the hormone that was injected to be eliminated from the woman's system, so if a woman is pregnant, the hCG present is related to the developing pregnancy rather than from the injection.

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