hCG is produced by the cells that will form the placenta. Its levels are expected to double every 2 days until it reaches about 1,200 mIU/ml. The rate of increase will then slow, and it will take 3 or 4 days for the hormone levels to double until their reach about 6,000 mIU/ml. At that point, the rate of increase will continue to drop, and at the end of the first trimester, the levels of hCG will plateau and then start to decrease.
As to the actual amount, it is not that important, and a
single measurement isn’t useful. Each pregnancy is unique, and hCG levels can
differ drastically, but here are the guidelines that my lab uses:
- Not pregnant: 0–5 mIU/ml
- Need further evaluation: 6–25 mIU/ml
- Pregnant: > 25 mIU/ml
- 3 weeks of gestation: 6–71 mIU/ml
- 4 weeks of gestation: 10–750 mIU/ml
- 5 weeks of gestation: 217–7,138 mIU/ml
- 6 weeks of gestation: 1,058–31,795 mIU/ml
- 7 weeks of gestation: 3,697–163,563 mIU/ml
- 8 weeks of gestation: 32,065–149,571 mIU/ml
- 9 weeks of gestation: 63,803–151,410 mIU/ml
- 10 weeks of gestation: 46,509–186,977 mIU/ml
- 12 weeks of gestation: 27,832–210,612 mIU/ml
- 14 weeks of gestation: 13,950–62,530 mIU/ml
- 15 weeks of gestation: 12,039–70,971 mIU/ml
- 16 weeks of gestation: 9,040–56,451 mIU/ml
- 17 weeks of gestation: 8,175–55,868 mIU/ml
- 18 weeks of gestation: 8,099–58,176 mIU/ml
If your hCG levels fall outside these ranges, this doesn’t
necessarily mean that something is wrong. These are just average numbers based
on data collected by this particular clinic. There are several possibilities that you might
want to consider, though.
If your hCG levels are much lower than expected for the
given week of gestation, you might be mistaken in dating the pregnancy, you
might have miscarried, or the fertilized egg might have implanted in a fallopian
tube (a condition known as ectopic pregnancy). If your hCG levels are high
higher than expected, you might, again, be mistaken in dating the pregnancy,
you might have molar pregnancy (i.e., the tissue that would have
been the fetus has instead turned into an abnormal growth in your uterus),
or you might be carrying more than one baby.
Due to the wide variation of hCG levels and the various
possible interpretations, doctors prefer to use transvaginal ultrasound to date
the pregnancy and gain more specific information. Typically, an ultrasound will
be able to detect at least a gestational sac once the hCG levels are over 1,000
mIU/ml (or in the sixth week of pregnancy).
Though I want to emphasize once again that each individual
will have different levels of hCG, here are my numbers in case you are curious:
First attempt (no pregnancy):
- 12 days post intrauterine insemination (IUI): < 5 mIU/ml
Second attempt (pregnancy):
- 12 days post IUI: 13 mIU/ml
- 17 days post IUI: 247 mIU/ml
- 22 days post IUI: 2,270 mIU/ml
- 29 days post IUI: 15,376 mIU/ml
Third attempt (chemical pregnancy):
- 12 days post IUI: 20 mIU/ml
- 14 days post IUI: 8 mIU/ml
Fourth attempt (no pregnancy):
- 12 days post IUI: 2 mIU/ml
Fifth attempt (no pregnancy):
- 12 days post frozen embryo transfer (FET): < 5 mIU/ml
Sixth attempt (pregnancy followed by fetal demise in week 7):
- 12 days post FET: 349 mIU/ml
- 14 days post FET: 742 mIU/ml
- 20 days post FET: 5,315 mIU/ml
- 32 days post FET: 46,525 mIU/ml (day of detected fetal demise)
- 39 days post FET: 55,229 mIU/ml
- 46 days post FET: 35,335 mIU/ml (day of natural miscarriage)
- 52 days post FET: 978 mIU/ml
- 59 days post FET: 141 mIU/ml
- 66 days post FET: 31 mIU/ml
Seventh attempt (pregnancy):
- 12 days post FET: 432 mIU/ml
- 14 days post FET: 1,050 mIU/ml
- 19 days post FET: 9,207 mIU/ml
- 25 days post FET: 34,005 mIU/ml
Eight attempt (pregnancy):
- 13 days post FET: 1,721 mIU/ml
- 15 days post FET: 4,592 mIU/ml
- 21 days post FET: 31,340 mIU/ml
Note: All my FET attempts used a 5-day-old embryo, hence the higher hCG results compared with the IUI attempts.
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