If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, more than likely you have heard the term hCG over and over again; however, you may not be sure what hCG levels in pregnancy are really all about. Basically, hCG is a hormone, called human chorionic gonadotropin, that is produced when you are pregnant, although many women are familiar with it being called simply the pregnancy hormone. Basically the cells that form the placenta actually make this hormone. Within about 8-11 days of conception, a blood test can detect the hCG levels and usually within 12-15 days after conception a urine test can detect these levels as well.
When it comes to hCG levels in pregnancy, in most women those levels will get higher and higher every day. In fact, about every 2-3 days the hCG level in your blood will actually double. While some women seem to think that hCG levels are indicative of whether their pregnancy will be healthy, this is not always the case. In fact, you can have lower than normal hcG levels in pregnancy and still have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. So, it is important that you don’t totally look to the levels of hCG to figure out how your pregnancy is doing.
Also, hCG levels in pregnancy should never be sued to try and figure out when a baby will be born. The levels of hCG in pregnancy can vary by a huge amount from woman to woman, so they cannot accurately let you know how far along you are in the pregnancy. While your hCG levels do have some importance and they are definitely used to find out if you are pregnant, you should not be too concerned about them as you through your pregnancy. The best way to find out about the health of your pregnancy is to have an ultrasound done, which can give more results than a simple test of your hCG levels.