The best way to confirm a pregnancy is to perform a blood test, as it detects small amounts of hCG hormone produced during pregnancy, being the positive result when beta-hCG levels are above 5. 0 mlU/ml.
The pregnancy blood test should be taken when your period is delayed to make the results more reliable, as any tests done earlier can have a false negative result. No prescription or fasting is required before the test and the result is given within a few hours of the blood sample.
- HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin.
- Which is a hormone produced only when a woman is pregnant or has a severe hormonal change caused by a disease.
- Blood testing for beta-hCG is usually done only when a pregnancy is suspected.
- As it is easier confirmed by the presence of this hormone in the blood than in the urine.
- Which is used in over-the-counter pregnancy tests.
However, when the Beta hCG test result is undetectable or inconclusive and the woman has pregnancy symptoms, the test should be repeated 3 days later.
If you think you may be pregnant but have not yet passed the HCG beta test, you can do our online test to find out what your chances are of getting pregnant:
The following table shows the amount of beta hCG hormones present in each gestation week:
The blood test should be performed if her period is delayed, because if it is done earlier, she can get a false negative result, that is, the woman may be pregnant, but this does not appear in the results. produce levels of hCG hormone with sufficient concentrations to be detected and therefore indicate pregnancy.
As the name suggests, the quantitative beta-hCG test indicates the amount of hormone present in the blood, this test is done from a blood sample that is sent to the lab for testing and, with the result, it is possible to identify the concentration of the hCG hormone in the blood and, depending on the concentration, to indicate the week of pregnancy.
The hCG qualitative beta test is the over-the-counter pregnancy test that only indicates whether the woman is pregnant or not, since the concentration of the hormone in the blood is not administered, a gynecologist usually order a blood test to confirm the the pregnancy.
During twin pregnancies, hormone levels are higher than indicated for each week, but ultrasound should be performed from the sixth week of gestation to confirm and know the number of twins.
The woman may suspect that she is pregnant with twins when she knows approximately what week she became pregnant and checks the table above to confirm the corresponding amount of beta-hCG. If the numbers don’t match, you may be pregnant with more than one. baby, but this can only be confirmed by ultrasound.
Beta hCG results may also indicate problems such as an ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, or an an embryonic pregnancy, which is when the embryo does not develop.
These problems can usually be identified when hormone levels are lower than expected for gestational age and an obstetrician needs to be consulted to assess the cause of hormonal change.
After confirming pregnancy with a blood test, it is important to make an appointment with an obstetrician to initiate prenatal follow-up, passing the necessary tests to ensure a healthy pregnancy without complications such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes.