HCG is the abbreviation for human chorionic gonadotropin (a hormone produced by the placenta, but can also be produced by tumors).
A pregnancy test works by detecting the presence of this hormone in a woman's urine (but pregnancy can only be confirmed after the first week). HCG helps form the yellow body of the embryo and helps the production of steroid hormones. Before donating blood for hCG levels, you must clarify the start date of the last menstruation. The analysis diagnoses pregnancy already on the first or second day of delay.
For what purposes and when donate blood for hCG?
- To confirm pregnancy.
- If an ectopic pregnancy is suspected.
- If you suspect a threatened miscarriage, miscarriage.
- To detect tumors (after all, they can produce a large amount of this hormone).
- To identify the causes of amenorrhea.
- After treating an ectopic pregnancy to make sure it was successful.
- If trophoblastic diseases are suspected.
- To diagnose the dynamics of fetal development.
A person has a normal level of thisthe hormone should not be more than 2.5 mU / ml, and in the last weeks of pregnancy it can reach 3000 mU / ml.
When to take hCG?
This analysis is part of the screening tests that women undergo at 10 and 14 weeks of pregnancy.
If the test results show that your human chorionic gonadotropin level is too low (compared to the gestational age), then there may be several reasons for this:
- the wrong gestational age is indicated (an error of even 7 days can distort the result of the study);
- perhaps there is a miscarriage or an ectopic;
- threatened miscarriage;
- the fetus develops with a delay;
- the placenta is not working properly;
- fetal death (if a low level is observed in the 2nd and 3rd semesters of pregnancy).
When donate blood for hCG for the first time? As mentioned above, you need to do this analysis for a period of about 10 weeks. But in any case, analysis alone is not an indicator. Therefore, a woman must definitely undergo an additional examination by a doctor, an ultrasound procedure and repeat the procedure for donating blood from a vein.
The level of hCG increases in proportion to the timing of fetal development. If the pregnancy is multiple, then the norms of the indicators also double. You also need to consider that the gestational age may be indicated incorrectly. But there are cases when the high content of this hormone should alert. After all, this fact may indicate the presence of diseasesin the mother (toxicosis, diabetes), ectopic pregnancy, fetal pathology. In a word, a prerequisite when donating blood for hCG is any suspicion about an abnormal course of pregnancy. This analysis can provide important additional insights.
HCG blood test: cost
If a woman is registered with the state antenatal clinic, then the analysis is done free of charge. Private clinics have their own prices, but on average they range from 250-450 rubles. For this analysis, blood is taken from a vein for examination. Does it matter when you donate blood for hCG? Yes, definitely in the morning and on an empty stomach. Pregnancy is evidenced by results showing more than 25 mU/ml.
