During pregnancy, your hCG level is important, as this is the hormone that helps you maintain your uterine lining. HCG signals your body that you're pregnant; without it, you'll have a period, effectively ending your pregnancy. Unfortunately, there are no sure signs that you have sufficient hCG production, though there are some clues.
HCG
HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone comes from your developing embryo, starting shortly after fertilization of a ripe egg. The hormone communicates with tissue in your ovary called the corpus luteum, indicating that you're pregnant and causing the corpus luteum to continue producing the estrogen and progesterone that maintain the endometrium, or uterine lining. Your obstetrician measures your hCG periodically to monitor the health of your pregnancy.
HCG Levels
Healthy women don't produce hCG, and don't have it in their blood any time other than during -- or immediately after -- pregnancy. As such, it's a good indicator that you're pregnant, and is the hormone upon which pregnancy tests rely. You can "date" a pregnancy based upon the quantity of hCG, though levels can vary significantly from one woman to the next, notes the Advanced Fertility Institute of Chicago. The most important indicator of a healthy pregnancy is an hCG level that doubles every 48 to 72 hours.
Symptoms of HCG
There are no sure signs that you have sufficient hCG, though you may experience more severe symptoms of early pregnancy if your hormone levels are high. For instance, notes Dr. William Sears on his website AskDrSears.com, high levels of hCG are likely to cause more severe morning sickness; as such, if you have severe morning sickness, you may have a healthy pregnancy with appropriate hCG production. This isn't certain, however.
Checking HCG
Rather than trying to rely upon your symptoms to determine your hCG level -- particularly because you can have a very healthy hCG level with no symptoms -- see your obstetrician regularly for prenatal care. Your doctor will check your hCG, ensuring both that your levels are high enough to support your pregnancy and that your levels double normally. Your obstetrician will also monitor your health and that of your developing baby in other ways, making these appointments very important as part of your pregnancy health care.
