HCG levels by week of pregnancy

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Every pregnant woman is faced with the need to take all kinds of tests, and during the entire period of gestation. There is one among them, according to which the level of hCG is determined. Many future mothers are of the opinion that it is needed only to establish the fact of motherhood, nothing more. In fact, this study allows not only to determine the gestational age, but also to identify possible pathologies in the development of the fetus.

And if a woman in the past had one unsuccessful attempt to conceive or several, then in this case, each subsequent pregnancy is under special control.

Explanation of the term HCG

What is meant by human chorionic gonadotropin? What, in fact, is it intended for and what role does it play? Undoubtedly, these issues deserve special attention and analysis. HCG is a speciala hormone that is produced by the chorion immediately after a fertilized egg has attached to the wall of the uterus. In this regard, this hormone, namely the level of hCG, acts as the main indicator of successful conception.

It is worth noting that in the body of non-pregnant women, in particular in the blood, the hormone hCG is also present, only in a very meager concentration. In this case, its level is the norm - 0-5 mU / ml. This indicates the absence of pregnancy, and the woman's body itself is in a he althy state. However, any person has a hormone, and its significant excess indicates the occurrence of any undesirable processes.

And as for the role of hCG, it is difficult to underestimate it. In the ovary of the female body there is a special endocrine gland, which is referred to as the corpus luteum and produces the sex hormone - progesterone. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it is not constant. It originates in the ovary immediately after the process of ovulation and completely resolves by the beginning of the next menstrual cycle.

Like hCG levels, the corpus luteum also provides significant benefits. If the egg is fertilized, then the gland does not disappear anywhere and continues to function. Her job is to maintain high levels of progesterone, which is essential for the successful implantation of the embryo.

Besides this, other duties are assigned to the yellow body:

• Suppression of the maturation of new follicles.
• Preparation of the endometrium of the uterus for partial implantation of the embryo. Mucousat the same time, the shell of the reproductive organ becomes looser, the vessels grow, due to which its blood supply increases.
• Preparing the mammary glands for future feeding.

The body of any person perceives any body that has got inside as alien. This also includes the developing embryo inside the mother. This is where the corpus luteum manifests itself, which, with the help of the production of sex hormone, reduces the immune response to the appearance of a “foreign” organism, but, in fact, it is not such. Thus, the pregnancy is preserved.

And now we smoothly move on to the value of the level of hCG in the blood of a pregnant woman. In turn, this hormone supports the functioning of the corpus luteum so that this gland can calmly perform its direct duties. In addition, gonadotropin assists the female body in terms of hormonal adjustment and helps to adapt to the stress that inevitably occurs with the onset of pregnancy.

What is the need for control?

Many experts lean towards controlling the level of gonadotropin. What is it for? Often, this requires a blood test, which is prescribed for all pregnant women after they register with the antenatal clinic. And this is also mandatory for all expectant mothers, without exception.

The level of hCG by weeks of pregnancy or days of pregnancy can tell a specialist a lot. First of all, with its help it is possible to accurately determine the date of conception. The hormone consists of alpha (α) and beta (β) particles, and it is the β species that hasunique structure, which makes it possible to judge the fact of pregnancy. If a girl has a delay, there are no periods for two or three days, then it is worth conducting such an analysis.

But besides this, you can do a regular test, which is easy to find in any pharmacy. That is, gonadotropin enters not only into the blood, but also into the urine. At the same time, its concentration in the urine is significantly lower, 2 times. The test strips familiar to many girls and women differ in less reliable results, but a blood test can give an exhaustive answer, and at an early stage.

The need to control the level of hCG by day or week is due to many factors, and this is far from just diagnosing pregnancy:

• The study allows us to detect any abnormalities in the development of the fetus.
• Diagnosis of amenorrhea.
• Confirmation or denial of the threat of miscarriage.
• Determining the risk of ectopic pregnancy.
• Identification of indications for induced abortion.
• Diagnosis of probable malignant formations.

Men should also donate blood for an hCG test, as this will reveal a certain risk of developing a testicular tumor.

Growth dynamics

Do not underestimate the role of gonadotropin in the female body. Starting from the very first day after the release of a mature egg, the concentration of hCG begins to increase. It is because of him that cardinal changes begin to occur in a woman,familiar to many. Due to the change in the level of hCG, not only the hormonal background changes from week to week, but also mood swings occur, and most often for no reason, new taste preferences appear and many other manifestations characteristic of pregnant women.

Typically, the amount of gonadotropin increases during 10 obstetric weeks, then its concentration decreases by the 20th week. But from 21 to 40 weeks, its level remains unchanged, until the birth of a child.

Very interesting is the dynamics of growth in the level of gonadotropin, which depends on the duration of the onset of pregnancy. At the very initial stage, it increases at a rapid pace - every two days its number doubles. It takes 3-4 days to reach a value of 1200 mU / ml. When a concentration of 6000 mU / ml is reached, doubling occurs a little less often - every 96 hours (4 days).

This growth dynamics of hCG levels by weeks is due to the fact that by the end of the first trimester, the formed placenta is included in the hormonal supply. The corpus luteum is no longer needed, and this gland is resorbed. In this regard, there is no need to produce a large amount of hCG. In addition, the child is almost formed by this time.

Subsequently, the amount of the hormone remains at the same level. In order to be able to control its concentration and identify any deviations, there is a special table in which its normal parameters are indicated. In addition to it, there is another table in which the amount of gonadotropinexpressed not by weeks, but already in days, which gives a more complete picture of the course of pregnancy.

Gonadotropin standards by day

Below is a figure that shows a table showing the normal levels of hCG levels by day.

It allows you to detect how quickly the amount of the hormone increases in the event of a successful conception. Thus, a woman can independently control the course of pregnancy and, if necessary, seek medical help in a timely manner.

At the same time, every expectant mother should understand that such tracking is not a full-fledged diagnosis. And if deviations from the norm are found, then for now this is a reason for the appointment of an additional study.

Indicators of the norm of gonadotropin by week

Now it's time to look at another table that shows the dynamics of growth, but in a slightly different way - it shows the level of hCG by week of pregnancy. It is located below.

It is rare that a single test for the hCG hormone is prescribed to establish the fact of pregnancy at an early stage. Indeed, during the entire period of bearing a child, it is important to timely identify the presence of any pathology and take appropriate measures. And this is possible only in the case of observing changes in the level of gonadotropin in dynamics by day or week.

Not every doctor prescribes such a study, but you should not immediately blame him for incompetence. Most likely, the pregnancy is proceeding normally, andthere is simply no reason for a specialist to refer a woman for an hCG analysis.

Interpretation of results

It is up to a specialist to decipher the results obtained from the analyzes, since there are some nuances here. First of all, it should be borne in mind that in the existing table, the level of hCG from conception is reflected in relation to the obstetric weeks, and they start from the first day of the last menstruation. For this reason, the norm for a period of less than 2 weeks is not indicated. But in order not to get confused, it should be remembered that between the actual pregnancy (embryonic period) and the obstetric period, the difference is just these two weeks.

There are cases when during the study the result shows the amount of gonadotropin less than 25 mIU / ml, but more than 5 mIU / ml. In this case, the analysis should be repeated after a few days. This will make sure that the process of ovulation still occurs.

But even with a noticeable deviation from the norm, you should not worry. Then the doctor prescribes the necessary additional examinations. After all, there is a possibility that a woman does not have any pathologies, as well as in relation to a child, and a change in the concentration of the hormone is caused by an individual feature of the body.

In addition, the data obtained during the analysis regarding the level of hCG by day from conception must be compared with the normative indicators of the laboratory where the study was conducted. This is due to the fact that each laboratory uses its own method for calculating hCG. Actually, for this reason, the data anddifferent.

Deviations from the norm

If during the study a deviation from the normative indicators is found within 20% or more, a second study is scheduled. And if during the repeated test an even greater degree of deviation of the level of gonadotropin from the norm is revealed, the doctor may suspect the presence of any pathology in the female body.

At the same time, if the picture has not changed during the second examination - the level of hCG in the early stages is still the same, and the woman herself feels great, then the doctor regards this as a feature of her body.

However, there is cause for concern. In some cases, the concentration of gonadotropin changes both up and down. And there are reasons for this.

Factors that lead to an excessive increase in the amount of the hormone hCG:

• Presence of diabetes.
• Gestational age has been determined incorrectly.
• Presence of preeclampsia.
• Prolonged pregnancy.
• Trophoblast tumor.

In addition, if the hCG level is exactly 1.5-2 times higher than the norm, then this is probably a reason for double joy, since multiple pregnancy is not excluded. With a triple, the concentration is increased three times!

Some women take Pregnyl or Horagon to stimulate ovulation.

The reasons for low hCG levels are also disappointing:

• Ectopic fetal location.
• Frozen fruit.
• Threatmiscarriage, in which the amount of hCG is below the norm by 50%.
• Chronic placental insufficiency.

In addition, the nature of the deviations may indicate the development of a number of anomalies in the fetus:

• Down Syndrome usually occurs against the background of an increase in hCG levels.
• A significant decrease in gonadotropin will indicate the presence of Edwards and Patau syndromes.
• Regarding Turner's syndrome, the amount of hCG remains the same throughout pregnancy.
• Anomalies in the development of the neural tube or the heart of the fetus.

If a risk of developing any pathology in relation to a child is detected, it is in the interests of the doctor to prescribe the necessary procedure: chorion biopsy, invasive diagnostics, amnio- or cordocentesis.

HCG levels in ectopic fetal position

The case of an ectopic pregnancy is a real blow to the female psyche, and this also affects physical he alth. Until now, the nature of this phenomenon, and in particular the true causes of its occurrence, have not been elucidated. Experts just shrug their hands, seeing how the embryo began to develop in the wrong place.

As for the level of gonadotropin, it is lowered, but may remain within the normal range at the initial stage. But after some time, the dynamics of changes changes dramatically, and to a smaller side. If you conduct a timely study, you can identify the ovarian or tubal attachment of the embryo. But the only and reliable diagnosis was and remains ultrasound.

Missed Pregnancy

As with ectopic pregnancy, the level of hCG in this case is also lower than normal. This phenomenon is characterized by the cessation of intrauterine development of the fetus, or, in other words, the embryo dies. Often this happens during the first trimester, that is, up to 13-14 weeks. Nevertheless, in some cases, the development of the child may stop at a later date. In addition, at this time it is not possible to detect this pathology, since it manifests itself several weeks after the death of the fetus.

The doctor may suspect a miscarriage when the growth dynamics of the hormone stops. And if at the same time a woman is not the first time she takes an analysis for hCG, then the results are lower than the data of the previous study. In the normal course of pregnancy, hCG changes gradually and does not exceed the norm.

The nature of this phenomenon is also not fully understood, and therefore there is no data regarding exactly what level of hCG in urine and blood accurately indicates a miscarriage. But one thing is important for sure - it is necessary to monitor the dynamics of growth, in addition, the characteristics of the body should be taken into account, and they are individual for each woman.

Immune Resistance

In some cases, women may experience spontaneous miscarriages, which should already be alarming, because it does not just happen. And the answer is quite simple and lies in the development of antibodies to hCG, which happens in some women. As a rule, they are not synthesized and then the pregnancy proceeds normally.mode. But in some cases, these protectors, without realizing it, completely block the production of hCG, which leads to spontaneous miscarriage or premature birth.

The reasons for this may be different:

• Genetic predisposition.
• Incorrect work of the immunity of the female body.
• Severe viral illness.
• Administration of hCG drugs during IVF.

During in vitro fertilization since the introduction of gonadotropin, female immunity perceives the hormone as a threat and gives the command to produce antibodies in an enhanced mode. As a result, the level of hCG decreases, which is more likely a response to a foreign body than a pathology.

Therefore, in the event of a miscarriage, a woman must undergo a study to determine antibodies to hCG. And if the result is positive, then she will be prescribed the necessary medical treatment during the first three months of pregnancy.

Conclusion

From all this we can draw the only true conclusion: tracking the growth dynamics of gonadotropin is the first necessity, since this is the general picture of the course of pregnancy. In the case of any pathology, the concentration of the hormone changes in any direction, which the doctor will certainly find out about. Only for this it is necessary to take all the prescribed tests and conduct additional studies, if necessary. This is in the interest of every mother-to-be.

As for the results themselves, anya woman can find out what level of hCG is in her body. However, she can interpret it in her own way and not always perceive information in her favor. For this reason, decryption should be entrusted exclusively to a specialist, since, as we now know, there are some nuances.