How to Interpret HCG Levels

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By Jordan Meyers
eHow Contributing Writer

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Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone the body produces during pregnancy. In fact, the detection of significant levels of HCG in the urine or blood is considered a reliable indication of pregnancy. Doctors may also interpret HCG levels when evaluating the health of a pregnancy and determining how long a woman has been pregnant.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Have a qualitative HCG test if you want to know whether HCG is present in your blood. If you want to know how much is present, you'll need a quantitative blood test.
Step 2

Consider an HCG level that is less than 5 mIU/ml an indication that you are not pregnant. However, it's possible that you are pregnant and your body just hasn't produced enough HCG to make a pregnancy test positive yet.
Step 3

Interpret an HCG level of 25 mIU/ml or more as a positive pregnancy test. If your level is above 5 mIU/ml, but lower than 25 mIU/ml, have your levels tested again in a few days. You might be in a very early stage of pregnancy.
Step 4

Expect to see visible signs of pregnancy on an ultrasound if your HCG levels have reached 2,000 mIU/ml or more.
Step 5

Look for a steady progression of HCG levels in a healthy pregnancy. According to DrSpock.com, HCG levels should double, or come close to doing so, every 48 hours.

Tips & Warnings

Ask your doctor to recheck very low levels of HCG after two to three days have passed. Sometimes low HCG levels can indicate miscalculation of the conception date, miscarriage or a pregnancy that is developing outside the uterus.
Request repeat testing--after two to three days--if your HCG levels are much higher than normal. This could mean you or your doctor have the wrong conception date, you are pregnant with more than one child or you are experiencing a molar pregnancy--a pregnancy in which abnormal tissue develops instead of a baby.
If you've had a pregnancy loss, it can take up to six weeks for your HCG levels to return to normal. According to the American Pregnancy Organization, doctors might test levels until they fall below 5 mIU/ml in order to ensure that your hormone levels are returning to their prepregnancy state.
Don't panic if your HCG levels drop. Though dropping levels can be a sign of a problem with a pregnancy, normal levels may differ from woman to woman. As such, doctors typically evaluate the results of other tests, such as ultrasounds, in determining whether or not a pregnancy loss is likely to occur.