Once you conceive and get pregnant, the body undergoes numerous different changes. Most of these changes are at the hormonal levels. Various new hormones that are specific to pregnancy are produced and the production of a few others is enhanced. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
Within ten days of conception, a hormone known as hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin is produced by the body. This pregnancy hormone actually helps you find out that you are pregnant. All pregnancy tests are based on the presence of this hormone.
If this hormone is present in your blood and your urine, you can take for granted that you are pregnant. The levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in your body will also help the doctor find out whether the pregnancy is healthy or whether there are going to be any complications.
During ovulation every month, the corpus luteum, which is an ovarian tissue, secretes progesterone and estrogen in enhanced quantities. Thanks to this, the lining of the uterus begins to thicken. If you are not pregnant, the corpus luteum will dintegrate within fourteen days and the levels of these two hormones come down.
This is the reason why you menstruate. If the egg is fertilized and you are pregnant, the lining of the uterus should be maintained as such. The developing embryo secretes human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG. This hormone in turn maintains the ovarian tissue called corpus luteum, which produces high levels of progesterone and estrogen. Thus, you won’t get your next period. You can see that hCG is a very important hormone during pregnancy.
Remember that hCG is not produced by your body. The developing embryo produces it. This is why it is a sure shot sign that you are pregnant. This is the reason why all pregnancy tests are based on the presence of this hormone, as aforementioned. hCG levels in the urine can be detected by home pregnancy tests close to your missed period.
In order to confirm that you are pregnant you can go ahead and get a blood test done at the clinic. If you think you are pregnant and can’t wait for until your missed period, you can simply get a blood test done sooner. hCG appears in the blood before it appears in the urine.
Besides indicating pregnancy, the levels of human chorionic gonadotropin can tell you a lot more. A quantitative analysis of the hormone can show whether you have enough levels of hCG in your body. Remember that the levels of hCG must increase throughout the first trimester. A few weeks into pregnancy and the levels will begin to double every two days until the end of the first trimester. Thereafter, there will be a slight decrease in the levels of this hormone.
Through the rise and fall in the levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, doctors can establish the pregnancy viability. As aforementioned, it should double in the early weeks every 48 hours. If it does not double but if a raise is detected, you may be having an ectopic pregnancy, which means that the egg is implanted outside the uterus.
Low levels of hCG may indicate miscarriage or a likely miscarriage. If the levels are too high, it may indicate that you will have twins or multiple births.
You should get your hCG levels checked at least twice to be sure because the levels sometimes tend to increase and decrease after a few weeks.
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