The norm of hCG during pregnancy: table and transcript

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

Nowadays, it is not difficult to establish the fact of pregnancy, since pharmacies sell funds specially designed for this. We are talking about tests that are in different price categories from the cheapest to the most expensive. But if the results are not satisfactory, and the ultrasound cannot give a definite answer, then you can donate blood for analysis, where the hCG rate will be determined. Moreover, this hormone is found not only in the blood, but also in the urine of pregnant women.

But what is hidden under this abbreviation, what is the norm of this hormone and what is the best way to get tested? All these questions can concern almost every woman who wants to become a mother as soon as possible.

What is HCG?

Every woman has faced the need to take an analysis for the hCG hormone, but not everyone knows what should be understood by this. Nevertheless, it is worth filling this gap.

Herselfthe abbreviation stands for human chorionic gonadotropin. This substance is present in the body of both women and men. Moreover, its amount is from 0 to 5 mU / ml, no more. In women with the onset of menopause, its amount increases to 9 mU / ml.

If the amount of gonadotropin in the human body (regardless of gender) exceeds 5 units, this is no longer the norm for hCG (including non-pregnant women) and indicates serious problems against the background of pathological processes. In this case, seek medical attention immediately.

In this regard, an hCG test can be prescribed to patients with suspected development of any tumors, as a result of which a serious pathology can be detected in a timely manner and a course of treatment can be started immediately. But most of all, gonadotropin acts as an "indicator" of pregnancy, which allows you to establish the fact of motherhood. Only for this you should correctly perform the tests.

As for pregnant women, gonadotropin begins to be produced in their body only after the successful fertilization of the egg by the sperm and the embryo is fixed on the wall of the uterus. The chorion (the outer shell of the embryo) is responsible for its formation. Actually, thanks to this, the hormone got its name - chorionic.

HCG norms by week

The production of gonadotropin occurs 5-6 days after the fertilization of the egg, so it is advisable to test for hCG no earlier than 7-10 days from the moment of conception.

Moreover, the concentration of the hormone in the blood exceeds its amount in the urine by 2 times. For this reason, even the most advanced urinalysis is not very informative.

The following information will also be useful to many women:

• The hormone in the blood of the female body can be detected 1.5 weeks after ovulation.
• The concentration of hCG doubles every 2 days, which indicates a favorable pregnancy. In this regard, each representative of the fair sex needs to know the hormone rate for each week.
• The amount of gonadotropin reaches its maximum value at the beginning of the 3rd month of pregnancy. This is also the norm for HCG. Subsequently, by week 20, its concentration is halved and remains unchanged until the birth itself.

Pregnancy tests are just guided by this hormone, showing the likelihood of a successful conception. Moreover, the most common and cheap test strips are not highly reliable. Nevertheless, they can be used, but it is better not earlier than 14-16 days from the moment of conception. Otherwise, they will not give the desired result. But in pharmacies you can find ultra-sensitive tests, which are more expensive. But they can be used a day or two after the delay.

HCG functionality

In women who are pregnant, but not yet aware of it, this hormone begins to be produced after the fertilization of the egg. What is the functional task assigned to it? This specific hormone plays a very important role,since a lot depends on it, and if the hCG norms for weeks are observed, then its role is as follows:

• hCG prevents the corpus luteum from disappearing.
• Helps the mother's body produce progesterone and estrogen during early pregnancy.
• Gives the command to initiate physiological changes in the woman's body.
• Weakens the mother's immunity for the benefit of the child, who at the initial stage of his life is just a collection of cells. It is necessary to provide protection from the aggressive effects of many factors.
• Thanks to the hormone, endocrine processes are triggered in the fetus: the adrenal glands and sex glands begin their work.
• Testosterone is synthesized if a boy is conceived.

Every woman should know this information, which will help her take better care of herself and her unborn child. It is also desirable to know the daily hCG norms, which will be discussed a little later.

Need for hCG analysis

Many women may have a logical question about why it is necessary to measure the level of hCG. Usually, most expectant mothers do the very first analysis at home using well-known tests. However, after conception, you have to wait a few days for the cherished second strip to appear. And, as you know, the wait is always tedious, so some people donate blood for an hCG test in order to know as soon as possible whether they have become a mother or not. As a rule, such an analysis is given 2-3 days after the delay.

Ifpatience is enough, then you can limit yourself to the usual tests. Only they do not always give an accurate “diagnosis”, which may be due to too early a test or some other reason (2 stripes are barely visible, and so on.). In this case, donating blood for analysis will give more accurate information: the time of conception and the gestational age.

If the "special position" is established, it is necessary to regularly measure the level of hCG. The norm for women will be presented in the form of a table below. This will allow you to control the course of pregnancy, monitor and prevent the occurrence of any pathology. By observing the dynamics of the hormone in the blood, the doctor monitors the development of the fetus and, if there is any suspicion, prescribes an additional examination. In particular, you can find:

• Down syndrome and a number of other genetic abnormalities at 11-13 weeks.
• Delay in the development of the fetus, as well as various anomalies due to which the body systems (nervous, digestive, genitourinary) are formed incorrectly. Can be detected at 16-18 weeks of gestation.

For this reason, all pregnant women need to undergo comprehensive screenings from 11 to 14, as well as from 16 to 20 weeks. At the same time, the level of gonadotropin is determined, then the obtained data are compared with the indicators of the hCG norm.

But what is most valuable in such an analysis is the ability to timely detect the threat of miscarriage, as well as an ectopic or missed pregnancy. If the childbearing is going on normally, nothing else will be required except for standard screenings. But ifpregnancy has a "problematic" nature, it is observed more carefully, which will allow timely detection of pathologies in the development of the fetus.

Type of analysis

In medicine, there are two types of blood tests:

1. General.
2. Free.

General study is assigned to women to determine pregnancy in the early stages. It is carried out in combination with prenatal screening. The latter includes a set of biochemical and ultrasound procedures that are used to identify possible abnormalities in the development of the fetus.

If there is a suspicion of the development of a tumor process, then in this case the determination of the hCG rate is done using a free blood test. Also, the reason may be the formation of an oncological nature in the female ovaries or male testicles.

Only it is worth considering that with a positive analysis for free hCG, it is too early to talk about the course of pathological changes in the child.

Features of passing the analysis

When do women need to go to donate blood for analysis? As a rule, the study is carried out starting from the 30th day of the menstrual cycle, which corresponds to the 1st or 2nd day of delay. The biomaterial is taken from a vein, and in order for the diagnosis to be as accurate as possible, certain rules must be observed:

• Blood sampling is done on an empty stomach and preferably in the early morning. But if a woman for some reason cannot come to the laboratory, then you can come at another time, but immediately before the procedure, do not eat atwithin 6 hours.
• When taking any medication, you must notify the doctor and laboratory assistant. This is especially true for hormonal drugs.
• On the eve of the analysis, avoid heavy physical exertion that affects the readings of the hCG rate from conception.
• For two or three days, give up coffee, alcohol, as well as spicy and fatty foods. In particular, this applies more to young girls who still need to confirm or deny the fact of pregnancy. Women who are already in a position know very well that they should not use it anyway.
• If you have recently completed a course of physiotherapy, this should also not be silent. In this case, the decision is made only by the doctor, who decides whether this circumstance can be neglected or whether the study can be postponed for a certain time.

The rules are not as complicated as they might seem at first glance. However, they must be observed exactly.

Normal indicators

As mentioned above, the HCG rate in non-pregnant women and men is 0-5 units. In future mothers, the concentration of gonadotropin begins to increase rapidly. And if in the first week after a successful conception there are only 25 units, then by the end of the 11th week its number rises to 225,000. After that, the amount of hCG begins to decline. The table below can provide a clearer picture.

As you can see from the table, the hCG rate at 12 weeks (for example) ranges from 19 to 135 thousand units. In this wayit can be seen that within the first half of pregnancy, the concentration of the hCG hormone begins to increase first, then falls. In the second half, gonadotropin remains within the same limits. Any excess or decrease in the indicator indicates an unfavorable course of pregnancy. For this reason, the level of the hormone should be considered in dynamics, and not according to the results of a once-passed analysis.

Next, another table will be presented, where the hCG norms by day are indicated.

Only it should be taken into account that the norm of gonadotropin is a conditional concept. This is due to the fact that each laboratory operates with its own indicators. In this regard, only a qualified specialist is able to decipher the results of the analysis, identify the discrepancy with the norm and their causes, and also prescribe the appropriate treatment. Self-treatment in this case is strictly contraindicated!

Deviations from the norm

Small deviations of the hormone from the norm, which almost always takes place, should not cause concern. But only a doctor can make such a conclusion based on the results of the studies, medical history, age, weight of the woman and other factors.

However, the amount of gonadotropin can differ significantly from the norm of hCG during pregnancy by days or weeks up or down. In this case, you can be sure that there are any violations in the woman's body. But what exactly does this mean? This issue should be carefully studied.

But first you need to figure out whysignificant deviations are observed if the woman is definitely not pregnant. In this case, it says a lot and undesirable:

• Malignant process in the ovaries. The hCG hormone here is a tumor marker and it is necessary to take an analysis at the slightest suspicion of the development of a tumor process.
• Formations in the uterus or ovaries.
• The tumor began to affect the lungs or kidneys.
• The presence of choriocarcinoma - a malignant formation that is formed from embryonic cells and quickly metastasizes to the lung structure and vagina.
• May be a consequence of hormone therapy.
• The presence of another, no less serious pathology - hydatidiform mole.
• Due to abortion or past birth.

Now let's move on to the consideration of deviations in pregnant women. And separately for each case.

Reasons for increasing hCG

HCG deviation above the norm is manifested against the background of diabetes, early toxicosis or preeclampsia. However, this does not always mean something bad. For example, in a multiple pregnancy, when two embryos develop, a doubling of the indicators can be observed. And if triplets are expected, then the concentration of the hormone will be three times higher than normal!

Besides this, this may be an alarming sign, since chromosomal pathology in the development of the fetus is not excluded. Also, the reason for the high concentration of the hCG hormone can be a long pregnancy, which is atypical, and is mainly associated with the characteristics of the female body, including the duration of the menstrual period.loop.

What leads to a decrease in the hormone?

Lower rates from the norm are often detected as a result of an incorrect determination of the gestational age. The fact is that there is an obstetric period, which counts from the day of the last menstruation, while there is no pregnancy as such yet. The real term, that is, from the moment of conception, will be able to show a blood test, which will correspond to the exact age of the embryo.

However, if the gestational age is set correctly, then the deviation of hCG below the norm usually indicates changes in the woman's body of a pathological nature. It could be:

• Antenal fetal death.
• Threatened miscarriage.
• Chronic placental insufficiency.
• Ectopic pregnancy.
• Overwear.

In addition, the constant underestimated dynamics of hormone growth may be a sign of missed pregnancy. In this case, it is necessary to start treatment as soon as possible. And often it involves the surgical intervention necessary to completely cleanse the uterine cavity.

Feature of ectopic pregnancy

Finding out what is the norm of hCG, it is worth mentioning separately the case of an ectopic pregnancy, since its indicators can vary greatly. In some cases, especially in the early period, the level of gonadotropin is within the normal range, which indicates a favorable course of pregnancy. Only then its concentration begins to decrease, and it is very important to detect it in time. For this reason, the test is necessaryperform weekly, despite the good results obtained in the initial periods. Low hCG levels occur for a number of reasons, the most common of which is improper placement of the embryo.

An ectopic pregnancy can be indicated by a deviation from the norm of hCG at 13 weeks, that is, less than 18,000 units. This is a big problem with dangerous consequences. Unfortunately, a favorable birth in this case is completely excluded, and the pregnancy must be terminated without fail. And the sooner this happens, the higher the chances of conceiving again, but already a he althy child.

As you know, an egg ready for fertilization meets with male germ cells already in the final section of the fallopian tube. After that, it is fixed on the wall of the reproductive organ, and the embryo enters its active phase. However, due to various circumstances, the egg moves through the fallopian tube very slowly. In this case, spermatozoa can overtake her in the middle of the whole journey. The result of such a “meeting” is the fixation of the egg in the fallopian tube, and here the fetus cannot fully develop. Therefore, it is extremely important at this stage to identify the deviation of the hCG norm in the blood down.

As the embryo grows, serious damage is caused to the reproductive system of the female body. In the end, this leads to rupture of the fallopian tube, which is inevitably accompanied by internal bleeding. If timely assistance is not provided, there will be no death.avoid.

As a conclusion

The level of hCG can be considered normal if and only if its concentration grows within reasonable limits, which can be found using a special table (available in the article). Weekly testing should not be ignored, as this is a sure way to quickly respond to any possible deviation.

And if the test shows a successful conception, from now on the woman must understand what responsibility falls on her. The full development of the child largely depends on maintaining a proper lifestyle during pregnancy. You should always remember this!