The best test for confirmation of pregnancy is the blood test, as it is possible to detect small amounts of the hormone HCG, which is produced during pregnancy. The blood test result indicates that the woman is pregnant when the hormone beta-HCG levels are greater than 5.0 mlU / ml.
The pregnancy blood test can be done even before the menstruation is delayed, and it is not necessary to have a medical prescription or to fast. Its price is around $ 20 to $ 40, and the result is given a few hours after the blood collection.
The following image is an example of a positive test result:
What is HCG?
HCG stands for chorionic gonadotrophin hormone, which is produced only when the woman is pregnant or has any severe hormonal changes that are being caused by any disease. Usually the beta HCG blood test is only performed when pregnancy is suspected, since the presence of this hormone in the blood is more indicative of pregnancy than the presence of this hormone in urine, which is detected through the pharmacy pregnancy test.
However, when the Beta HCG test result is undetectable or inconclusive and the woman has symptoms of pregnancy, the test should be repeated 3 days later. See what are the first 10 symptoms of pregnancy.
If you think you are pregnant but have not yet taken the HCG beta test you can still do our online test to know what the chances of actually being pregnant:
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Find out if you are pregnant
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Quantitative Beta HCG Table
The following table shows the amount of Beta HCG hormones present in each week of gestation:
| Gestational Age | Amount of Beta HCG in blood test |
| Not pregnant - Negative | Less than 5 mlU / ml |
| 3 weeks gestation | 5 to 50 mlU / ml |
| 4 weeks gestation | 5 to 426 ml / ml |
| 5 weeks gestation | 18 to 7.340 mlU / ml |
| 6 weeks gestation | 1080 to 56, 500 mlU / ml |
| 7 to 8 weeks gestation |
7, 650 to 229, 000 ml / ml |
| 9 to 12 weeks of gestation | 25, 700 to 288, 000 mlU / ml |
| 13 to 16 weeks of gestation | 13, 300 to 254, 000 ml / ml |
| 17 to 24 weeks gestation | 4, 060 to 165, 500 mlU / ml |
| 25 to 40 weeks of gestation | 3, 640 to 117, 000 mlU / ml |
Difference between quantitative and qualitative beta HCG
As the name implies, the quantitative beta-HCG test indicates the amount of hormone present in the blood. This examination is done from the collection of a blood sample that is sent to the laboratory for analysis. From the result of the examination it is possible to identify the concentration of the hCG hormone in the blood and, depending on the concentration, indicate the week of gestation.
The qualitative HCG beta test is the pharmacy pregnancy test that only indicates whether the woman is pregnant or not, not being informed of the concentration of hormone in the blood and being indicated by the gynecologist to perform a blood test to confirm the pregnancy. Understand when the pregnancy test can give false positive results.
How to know if you are pregnant with twins
In cases of twin pregnancies, the hormone values are higher than those indicated for each week, but to confirm and know the number of twins, an ultrasonography should be performed from the 6th week of gestation.
The woman may suspect that she is pregnant with twins when she can know approximately which week she became pregnant, and compare with the table above to check the corresponding amount of beta HCG. If the numbers do not hit right, possibly she will be pregnant with more than 1 baby, but this can only be confirmed by ultrasound.
See what blood test to do to know the sex of the baby before the ultrasound.
Other exam results
Beta HCG results may also indicate problems such as ectopic pregnancy, abortion or anembryonic pregnancy, which is when the embryo does not develop.
These problems can usually be identified when the hormone values are lower than expected for the gestational age of pregnancy, and it is necessary to seek the obstetrician to assess the cause of the hormonal change.
What to do after confirming your pregnancy
After confirming the pregnancy with the blood test, it is important to make an appointment in the obstetrician to begin prenatal follow-up, taking the necessary tests to ensure a healthy pregnancy without complications such as pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes, for example.
Find out which tests are most important to do during the first trimester of pregnancy.
