Much has been made of the idea that low levels of HCG can indicate a problem with a pregnancy. Both the American Pregnancy Association and the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago report that this is not necessarily true. HCG levels vary among women, and low levels can result from something as innocent as miscalculating your date of conception. Some women maintain low levels of HCG and deliver perfectly healthy babies.
Detection
Certain tests can detect HCG in a woman's blood approximately 11 days after conception and in her urine after 12 to 14 days, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Levels typically double every three days during your first trimester, then decline and finally level off. Home pregnancy kits test for HCG in your urine to confirm or rule out pregnancy. The Malpani Infertility Clinic in Bombay indicates two laboratory blood tests that can test for low levels: RIA or radioimmunoassay, and enzyme immunoassay, referred to as ELISA. Both are more reliable because overly diluted urine or a urinary tract infection can affect the urine tests.
Timing
HCG levels that rise according to accepted norms can be reassuring, according to the Malpani Infertility Clinic. But the American Pregnancy Association says that normal can range from 18 to 7,340 milli-international units per milliliter, or mIU/ml, after five weeks gestation and from 1,080 to 56,500 mIU/ml at six weeks gestation. If your level is toward the low end of this spectrum, your doctor might do an ultrasound at five to six weeks to ensure your pregnancy is progressing as it should. The American Pregnancy Association indicates that ultrasounds are much more reliable than HCG levels for detecting problems.
Misconception
The American Pregnancy Association says that although most women think their level of HCG is important, what doctors actually check for are changes in the level. HCG levels are considered normal if they are doubling every few days.
Causes
When a low HCG level does indicate something is wrong, it is usually either an ectopic pregnancy, when a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus, or an ovum that is not viable and will not survive to term.
Considerations
Only 85 percent of normal pregnancies actually follow the pattern of HCG levels doubling every three days in the first trimester, according to the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago. Even with an ectopic pregnancy, HCG levels can rise normally in the beginning but will begin to decline sooner than they should. If you have fertility problems and received an HCG injection to spur ovulation, it can take up to 10 days for it to leave your system. This can cause inaccuracies in early testing.
Member Comments