{"id":71048,"date":"2021-10-17T19:54:39","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T01:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/?p=546"},"modified":"2026-04-20T09:19:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:19:55","slug":"hcg-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/getting-pregnant\/hcg-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"What are HCG Levels?"},"content":{"rendered":"

HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) <\/dfn><\/strong>is often called the pregnancy hormone because it is made by cells formed in the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall.\u00a0Levels can first be detected by a blood test<\/a> about 11 days after conception<\/strong> and about 12-14 days after conception<\/strong> by a urine test<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Typically, the hCG levels will double every 72 hours. The level will reach its peak in the first 8-11 weeks of pregnancy<\/strong> and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy.<\/p>\n

Watch Video<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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What You Need to Know About Your hCG Levels:<\/h2>\n
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  1. As you get further along in pregnancy and the hCG level gets higher, the time it takes to double can increase to about every 96 hours.<\/li>\n
  2. Caution must be used in making too much\u00a0of hCG numbers. A normal pregnancy may have low hCG levels and result in\u00a0a perfectly healthy baby. The results from an ultrasound after 5 -6 weeks gestation<\/strong> are much more accurate than using hCG numbers.<\/li>\n
  3. An hCG level of less than 5 mIU\/mL<\/strong> is considered\u00a0negative for pregnancy, and anything above 25 mIU\/mL<\/strong> is considered\u00a0positive for pregnancy.<\/li>\n
  4. An hCG level\u00a0between 6 and 24 mIU\/mL<\/strong> is considered a grey area, and you’ll likely need to be retested to see if your levels rise to confirm a pregnancy.<\/li>\n
  5. The hCG hormone is measured in milli-international units\u00a0per milliliter (mIU\/mL).<\/li>\n
  6. A transvaginal ultrasound<\/a> should be able\u00a0to show at least a gestational sac once the hCG levels have reached\u00a0between 1,000 – 2,000 mIU\/mL<\/strong>. Because levels can differentiate so\u00a0much and conception dating can be wrong, a diagnosis should not\u00a0be made by ultrasound findings until the hCG level has reached at least\u00a02,000 mIU\/mL<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  7. A single reading is not enough information for most diagnoses. When there is a question regarding the health of the pregnancy, multiple testings of hCG done a couple of days apart give a more accurate assessment of the situation.<\/li>\n
  8. The hCG levels should not be used to date a\u00a0pregnancy\u00a0since these numbers can vary so widely.<\/li>\n
  9. There are two common types of hCG tests.\u00a0A qualitative<\/em> test detects if hCG is present in the blood. A quantitative<\/em> test (or beta) measures the amount of hCG actually present in the blood.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Guideline to hCG levels in weeks during pregnancy<\/h3>\n

    \"HCG-levels<\/p>\n

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    * These numbers are just a guideline<\/strong>\u00a0– every woman\u2019s level of hCG can rise differently. It is not necessarily the level that matters, but rather the change in the level.<\/em><\/p>\n

    What Does a Low hCG Level Mean?<\/h3>\n

    A low hCG level can mean any number of things and should be rechecked within 48-72 hours to see how the level is changing.\u00a0A low level can indicate:<\/strong><\/p>\n