hCG levels and Pregnancy

I am not a medical professional. The information I share is meant to supplement the information given you by your doctor. If you feel your doctor is not doing enough for you or not willing to listen to your concerns, I strongly encourage you to take what you've learned here and get a second opinion.

You're newly pregnant and keep hearing people bat around this hCG word. So, what is it? Well, hCG is just a quicker way of saying human chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone produced by the placenta, released into mom's bloodstream and detected in urine as well, is usually first detected eight to fourteen days after conception. When you get that infamous second line on your HPT (home pregnancy test), yep, that's the hCG doing its thing.

If your doctor takes blood to test of hCG, you'll know you are pregnant if they say your levels are five or higher. If your levels are below 5, you are not considered to be pregnant.

If you are possibly pregnant and just cannot wait another day to find out, check out this site: hCG Levels and HPTs You'll find some tests are more sensitive to hCG than others. If you believe you have conceived and you are due for your period yet, you'll want to take a more sensitive test.

WARNING ON SENSITIVE HPTs: Unfortunately, with the advent of sensitive HPTs, many women are realizing they are having early pregnancies. Prior to these HPTs, women just assumed they were having their period. Now, if a woman gets an early positive and then starts bleeding around the time of her period, she'll know she may be miscarrying.

You are going to hear from so many people that your levels are supposed to double every 48 hours if this is a viable pregnancy. This is just not true. Sure, your levels may double in that amount of time but chances are good that they will not and this is okay too.

For more on doubling times, see the FAQ below.

Should HCG levels double every 48 hours during early pregnancy?
Generally, HCG levels double every two to three days in the beginning stages of pregnancy for approximately 80% of viable pregnancies. This means that roughly one out of five women will see levels doubling at a slower rate and their pregnancies are just fine.

What are considered normal doubling times early in pregnancy?
If your hCG levels are below 1,200, they can take 48 to 72 hours.
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.

When do HCG levels normally start to decline?
HCG levels will generally taper off and start to decline from about week eight and are no longer considered a good indicator of pregnancy outcome.

What HCG levels are normal before they start to decline?
According to HCG charts, at about eight weeks, levels above 10,000 mIU/ML are considered within normal range and may start to decline. A number of 'normal', healthy pregnancies are at the low end of the HCG spectrum.

What do low HCG levels combined with a slow rise in numbers mean?
If you have low HCG levels and your numbers are very slowly rising, you may be facing an impending miscarriage however some pregnancies with low HCG numbers and slow rising do go on to full-term.

At what HCG level should a woman be able to see her baby via ultrasound?
Normally, ultrasound techs expect to see a baby when levels are more than 5000 mIU/ML. However, numerous explanations can be found when the baby cannot be seen.

So, why can't my baby be seen if my HCG levels are high enough?
Some women have been unable to see their babies despite the fact that their levels are upwards of 100,000 mIU/ML. Some women who are candidates for 'hidden babies' are women who have a tilted uterus or some uterine abnormality such as a bicornuate uterus.

How do I know if I have a tilted uterus?
According to the MayoClinic*, a tilted or tipped uterus "refers to a uterus that's tipped backward (retroverted) instead of normally forward on the cervix. According to Bioscience.org**, roughly 1 in 2 women will have a tilted uterus if they've had endometriosis and for all other women, your chances of a tilted uterus is about 1 in 5. Other sites say nearly 1 in 3 women have a tilted uterus. Your ob/gyn or ultrasound tech should be able to tell you if your uterus is retroverted.

How do I know if I have a uterine abnormality?
Some women with bicornuate uteruses are able to see their heart-shaped uteruses with an ultrasound. Some bicornuate uteruses and other abnormalities are not detectable without actually being able to look first-hand at the uterus (i.e. during a c-section) and, therefore, many women do not even realize they have this abnormality. If your mother took DES, a common synthetic estrogen medication used for almost 40 years until the early 1970's, you are a strong candidate for uterine abnormalities. If your mother took a medication to combat morning sickness during that time, you may very well have some uterine abnormalities and should let your ob/gyn know.

My Own Misdiagnosed Blighted Ovum Story
- After turning down the D&C twice, we found my baby at nearly nine weeks!
My First Misdiagnosed Miscarriage
- During my first pregnancy, we believed I was miscarrying at 12 weeks

A collection of Misdiagnosed Miscarriage stories

Bleeding during the First Trimester

What your Doctor may not know about your pregnancy after IVF

Coping With A Miscarriage

Miscarriage News and Research

hCG levels and Pregnancy FAQ

When You've Been Diagnosed with a Miscarriage

Tilted Uterus and Early Pregnancy

16 Days Past Ovulation (DPO) and hCG levels

Blighted Ovum FAQ

Infant Survival Rates during Pregnancy

Progesterone and Miscarriage

Asherman's Syndrome: Why you may want to rethink your D&C

So You've Been Told You Have A Blighted Ovum

Non-Doubling hCG Levels in the First Trimester Do Not Mean Inevitable Miscarriage!

Can Stress Lead to Miscarriage?

The First Trimester: Enlarged Yolk Sac

Getting a Second Opinion about a Miscarriage Diagnosis

Why You May Want an Ultrasound Right Before Your D&C

Is This Really an Ectopic Pregnancy?