How to Know if Your hCG Levels Are Doubling Normally During the First Trimester

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By carikay
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Many women are concerned when they hear their hCG levels are supposed to double in 48 hours during the first trimester. What they don't always know is that hCG levels often double much slower and this can be normal. Are your levels rising normally? Read on...

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

internet connection
information from your physician

Step 1

Know How hCG Levels Typically Rise

-- If your hCG levels are below 1,200, they can take 48 to 72 hours to double.

-- If your hCG levels are 1,200 to 6,000, they can typically take up to 96 hours to double.

-- If your hCG levels are above 6,000, your levels may take 96 hours (four days!) or more to double and still be perfectly normal.

-- After eight weeks your numbers will slow a lot and then begin to decline. This is also normal.
Step 2

Get Your hCG Numbers from your Physician

Many women are told their numbers are rising slowly but are not told their numbers. Ask for your numbers and know how many days between each test.
Step 3

Check Your Doubling Times

You can do a search for an hCG calculator online. Here is a basic calculator I often use when figuring out doubling times:

http://www.justmommies.com/pregnancy/hcgcalculator.shtml
Step 4

Do Not Panic if Your hCG Levels Plateau or Dip Temporarily

While slowing or declining numbers may indicate impending miscarriage, this is not always the case. Up to 1/3 of all women may spot or bleed during a viable pregnancy and often numbers will temporarily slow or drop. Many pregnancies start as twin pregnancies and end as singleton pregnancies. During the loss of a hidden twin, numbers may drop. Also, some women say their numbers dropped early in the first trimester due to dehydration. Declining numbers do not always mean a certain miscarriage and may be only temporary.
Step 5

Know that Your Baby May Not Always Be Visible on Ultrasound Until Your Numbers are Very High and You are More than Eight Weeks.

Thanks to the numerous stories at http://www.misdiagnosedmiscarriage.com/ we know that many women have hCG levels in the tens of thousands up to more than a 100,000 before seeing anything in the gestational sac. Often these women are told they have a tilted uterus. If your numbers are higher than 10,000 and your baby is not yet seen, ask if your uterus is tilted. Also, numerous women have found their babies at more than nine weeks gestation even though their doctors give them no hope after seven weeks.
Step 6

Know That hCG Levels Will Begin to Decline Between 8 to 13 Weeks

In a normal pregnancy, hCG levels will plateau and begin to decline near the end of the first trimester. For this reason, many physicians no longer check hCG levels after the gestational sac is first seen. Numbers are variable. For this reason, I don't even share so-called normal hCG levels week-by-week. They are just so varied from pregnancy to pregnancy.