The best test to confirm pregnancy is a blood test, as it is possible to detect small amounts of the hormone HCG, which occurs during pregnancy. The result of the blood test indicates that the woman is pregnant when the hormone beta-HCG values are greater than 5.0 mlU /ml.
It is recommended that the blood test for pregnancy be performed only after 10 days of fertilization or the first day after a menstrual delay. The beta-HCG test can also be performed before the delay, but in this case it is more likely to be a false negative result.
- No medical prescription or fasting is required to perform the test and the result can be reported within a few hours of blood draw and shipment to the lab.
HCG is the acronym representing chorionic gonadotropin hormone, which occurs only when the woman is pregnant or undergoes a severe hormonal change, caused by a disease. Normally, the HCG beta blood test is performed only in case of suspected pregnancy, because the presence of this hormone in the blood is more indicative of pregnancy than the presence of this hormone in the urine, which is detected by the pregnancy test in pharmacies.
However, when the result of the Beta HCG test is undetectable or inconclusive and the woman has pregnancy symptoms, the test should be repeated 3 days later. See what the first 10 symptoms of pregnancy are.
To understand the HCG beta exam result, enter the value in the calculator:
It is recommended that the test be performed after at least 10 days of menstrual delay, to avoid a false result. In fact, after fertilization, which occurs in the tubes, it can take several days for the fertilized egg to reach the uterus. Therefore, HCG beta values can take up to 6 days of fertilization to begin to increase.
If the test is done earlier, it is possible that a false negative result may be reported, i.e. the woman may be pregnant but this is not reported in the test, as it is likely that the body will not be able to produce the hormone hCG in sufficient detectable and indicative concentrations of pregnancy.
As the name suggests, the quantitative beta-HCG test indicates the amount of hormone present in the blood. This test is done by taking a blood sample that is sent to the lab for testing. Depending on the test result, it is possible to identify the concentration of the hormone hCG in the blood and, depending on the concentration, indicate the week of pregnancy.
The qualitative HCG beta test is the pharmacy pregnancy test that only indicates whether the woman is pregnant or not, the concentration of hormones in the blood is not reported, and the gynecologist recommends a blood test to confirm the pregnancy. Understand when the pregnancy test can give false positive results.
In the case of twin pregnancy, the hormone values are higher than those indicated for each week, but to confirm and know the number of twins an ultrasound should be performed from the 6th week of gestation.
The woman may suspect that she is pregnant with twins when she learns about the week she became pregnant and compares with the table above to verify the corresponding amount of HCG beta. If the numbers don’t match, you may be pregnant with more than one baby, but this can only be confirmed by an ultrasound.
Find out what blood tests to do to find out the sex of your baby before the ultrasound.
The results of beta HCG may also indicate problems such as an ectopic pregnancy, an abortion or an anembrionary pregnancy, that is, when the embryo does not develop.
These problems are usually identified when hormone values are lower than expected for the gestational age of pregnancy, and it is necessary to consult the obstetrician to assess the cause of the hormonal change.
After confirming your pregnancy with a blood test, it’s important to make an appointment with the obstetrician to start prenatal care, passing the tests necessary to ensure a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes.
Find out which tests are most important during the first trimester of pregnancy.