From the moment you think that you might be pregnant, your thoughts start to gravitate towards pregnancy hormones. Even when you take that very first pregnancy test, it is already working to detect the pregnancy hormone. The hormone in the body that is referred to as “the pregnancy hormone” is hCG, otherwise known as Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
HCG is the hormone that is created by the cells that form the placenta. For this reason, hCG is only present in pregnant women, therefore, it is known as the “pregnancy hormone”. HCG levels are first able to be detected by a blood test at about eleven days after conception.
For a urine test, hCG levels are usually detected at around twelve to fourteen days after conception. Starting at the beginning of a pregnancy, hCG levels will continue to increase, and will double around every 72 hours. At around week twelve of pregnancy, the hCG levels will reach their peak, and from there, they will begin to taper off.
HCG levels are used to detect pregnancy in over the counter urine pregnancy tests. While usually hCG levels can be used to determine whether or not there is a pregnancy, women should be cautioned not to put too much emphasis on hCG levels.
While they are effective in telling a woman whether or not she is pregnant, they should not be used to determine how far along a woman is, or to determine how healthy a pregnancy is. Doctors should take multiple hCG readings, several days apart, to see if they are increasing, staying the same, or decreasing.
The important thing to remember about hCG levels is that they can vary greatly from woman to woman, and they are all different for each woman. While hCG levels can give a small look into a woman’s pregnancy, the main thing to pay attention to is the change in hCG levels.
As long as they are increasing in early pregnancy, that is a good sign. If hCG levels don’t change, or begin to decrease in early pregnancy, that is a sign that there could be something wrong. If you have low levels that could mean a blighted ovum, a miscarriage, or simply that you calculated your dates wrong.
If you have high levels, it could mean that you have your dates wrong, or that you are having a multiple pregnancy. It could also mean that you are having a molar pregnancy.
HCG is known as the pregnancy hormone, since it is only present during pregnancy. However the actual amounts and numbers of hCG hormone found in the body can vary greatly from woman to woman. Your doctor can tell you more about hCG levels and what you can tell about a pregnancy from paying attention to hCG.
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