Have you missed your periods this month? This might be an indication of pregnancy.
To confirm whether you are pregnant or not you can take up Beta HCG test.
You must be wondering what is Beta hCG Test.
Well, in this article I will discuss the following points in detail so that you understand the use of the beta hCG test in detecting pregnancy.
- Beta HCG Test: An Insight
- Types of Beta HCG Tests: A Quick Overview
- Beta HCG Test Results: What Do They Mean?
Beta HCG Test: An Insight
Beta hCG test is basically used to detect pregnancy. But its clinical importance does not end here. It is also used:
- To determine the age of the pregnancy (gestational age).
- To detect genetic diseases in the developing fetus like down syndrome.
- To detect potential miscarriage.
- To detect ectopic pregnancy.
Apart from pregnancy-related factors, the beta hCG test is used for non-pregnancy related health conditions. The beta hCG is known as a tumor marker as it can help diagnose certain types of cancer like
- Lung cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Choriocarcinoma (uterus cancer)
The beta hCG test is used in non-cancerous medical conditions like
- To detect cirrhosis
- To detect ulcers
- To determine Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)
The beta hCG test is not only used for women it is also used for men to detect testicular cancer. If a man complains about lumping any of his testicles or both, then the doctor recommends a beta hCG test. Beta hCG is present in the bloodstream in males.
Since we are talking about the beta hCG test why not discuss in brief beta hCG and how it helps during pregnancy?
Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is a hormone famously known as pregnancy hormone that is secreted by the placenta in the early days of pregnancy. After the fertilization of the egg (ovum), the fertilized egg travels down to the uterus and attaches to the wall of the uterus. This triggers the formation of the placenta. Then the placenta starts secreting hCG in the blood and urine.
Once the hormone hCG is produced then it triggers the body to produce estrogen and progesterone. All these hormones that are hCG, estrogen, and progesterone stop menstruation in women and thicken the uterine lining to support the baby in the womb.
The level of hCG hormone increases during pregnancy and is actively present in the bloodstream in the initial days and then becomes present in urine also. It can be detected by a blood tests about 11 days after conception and about 12-14 days after conception by a urine test.
Types of Beta HCG Tests: A Quick Overview
There are two types of beta hCG tests:
- Qualitative testing
- Quantitative testing
Qualitative testing
This test is also known as an over-the-counter urine pregnancy test. This test only tells if the beta hCG hormone is present in the urine or not. But the qualitative test does not provide you the information about pregnancy age and the amount of beta hCG hormone. Qualitative testing is only capable of detecting the beta hCG hormone.
Quantitative testing
Quantitative testing is famously known as serum beta hCG test and beta hCG blood test. This test is performed after the qualitative test which measures the amount of beta hCG hormone present in the blood. This test helps to know the age of the pregnancy depending on the amount of hormone present in the blood.
The serum beta hCG test also helps to determine abnormal pregnancies like ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, and possible miscarriage. It also helps to detect genetic abnormalities of the fetus like down syndrome.
Note: In case of ectopic pregnancy the test results come positive. This medical condition is very serious and harmful that requires immediate medical treatment.
The beta hCG blood test is requested by the doctor not once but multiple times during the pregnancy to check the level of the beta hCG hormone.
Beta HCG Test Results: What Do They Mean?
The beta hCG test results for normal men and women are:
The lab reports come in milli-international units per milliliter (mUI/mL).
Normal levels are found in:
Non-pregnant women: less than 5 mIU/mL
Healthy men: less than 2 mIU/mL
In the case of pregnant ladies, the beta hCG levels vary according to the pregnancy age.
Look at the below table for reference:
Pregnancy Age or Gestational Age | Amount of beta hCG (in milli-international units per milliliter that is mIU/mL) |
3 | 5-72 |
4 | 10-708 |
5 | 217-8245 |
6 | 152 – 32,177 |
7 | 4,059 – 153,767 |
8 | 31,366 – 149,094 |
9 | 59,109 – 135,901 |
10 | 44,186 – 170,409 |
12 | 27,107 – 201,165 |
14 | 24,302 – 93,646 |
15 | 12,540 – 69,747 |
16 | 8,904 – 55,332 |
17 | 8,240 – 51,793 |
18 | 9,649 – 55,271 |
Note- During pregnancy beta hCG hormone increases in the first trimester and then there is a slight drop in the level of the hormone after the first trimester.
Abnormal Results
Higher than normal level may indicate:
- More than one fetus in the womb may indicate twins or triplets
- Choriocarcinoma of the uterus
- A hydatidiform mole of the uterus
- Ovarian cancer
- Testicular cancer (in men)
During the pregnancy period, lower than normal levels based on the gestational age may indicate:
- Fetal death
- Incomplete miscarriage
- Threatened spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
- Ectopic pregnancy
Note: Certain factors can affect beta hCG test results. They are:
- drinking excess water dilutes the excreta
- obtaining an excessive amount of or deficient excreta on the take a look at strip
- testing with excreta late within the day once it should be weaker
Tests that have passed their termination date could turn out false positives or negatives. Reused tests don’t seem to be correct.
In rare cases, someone will have abnormally high levels of gonadotropin albeit they’re not pregnant. The foremost common reasons for this include:
- a recent pregnancy loss
- using certain fertility drugs
- molar pregnancy
Less common causes include:
- cancer, including tumors that secrete HCG
- endocrine disorders, especially pituitary gland issues
- unusual antibodies in the blood
Conclusion
The beta hCG test is the primary choice of doctors to detect pregnancy. Using this test we can not only determine pregnancy but also medical conditions like miscarriages, genetic disorders in the fetus, and diseases like cancer, and endocrine disorders.
You can perform the beta hCG test anywhere in India as there are several labs across the country that provides beta hCG test.
Although the beta hCG test price varies according to the location and lab you undertake the test. The average beta hCG test cost in India is between Rs. 500 to Rs. 1000.
I usually prefer HealthcareOnTime for medical help as it is NABL and ISO-accredited. All the tests are done in CAP-accredited labs by well-qualified healthcare professionals that indicate the accuracy of the test reports. Also, the hCG test price at HealthcareOnTime is very affordable.
HealthcareOnTime also provides 24/7 online and phone booking facilities, thus giving us the freedom to avail of any test services at any time and anywhere. You can clear your queries on their Facebook page and by calling them by using their phone booking facilities.
If you want to hear good news then grab your mobile phones quickly and book your appointment at HealthcareOnTime.
