Monday, February 23, 2009

hCG Levels

Hey Folks,
This is probably going to be a boring post for yins, but I need this info & I want to keep it handy!

Guideline to hCG levels during pregnancy:
hCG levels in weeks from LMP (gestational age)* :
3 weeks LMP: 5 - 50 mIU/ml
4 weeks LMP: 5 - 426 mIU/ml
5 weeks LMP: 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml
6 weeks LMP: 1,080 - 56,500 mIU/ml
7 - 8 weeks LMP: 7, 650 - 229,000 mIU/ml
9 - 12 weeks LMP: 25,700 - 288,000 mIU/ml
13 - 16 weeks LMP: 13,300 - 254,000 mIU/ml
17 - 24 weeks LMP: 4,060 - 165,400 mIU/ml
25 - 40 weeks LMP: 3,640 - 117,000 mIU/ml


So, tomorrow, we'll know what we're looking at when I get today's results!

The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (better known as hCG) is produced during pregnancy. It is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. Levels can first be detected by a blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12 - 14 days after conception by a urine test. In general the hCG levels will double every 72 hours. The level will reach its peak in the first 8 - 11 weeks of pregnancy and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Key things to remember about hCG levels:
In a bout 85% of normal pregnancies, the hCG level will double every 48 - 72 hours. As you get further along in pregnancy and the hCG level gets higher, the time it takes to double can increase to about every 96 hours.
Caution must be used in making too much of hCG numbers. A normal pregnancy may have low hCG levels and result in a perfectly healthy baby. The results from an ultrasound after 5 - 6 weeks gestation are much more accurate than using hCG numbers.
An hCG level of less than 5mIU/ml is considered negative for pregnancy, and anything above 25mIU/ml is considered positive for pregnancy.
The hCG hormone is measured in milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/ml).


AND JUST FOR MOM:
From betabase.com, a list of multiple pregnancy beta ranges:

DPO/Midrange levels/Lowest levels/Highest Levels

13/190/10/486 <--Monday
14/262/23/1157
15/356/16/2010 <--Wednesday

Mom thinks it might be boy/girl twins. If this is true, I'd just squeal with delight. I have always dreamed of twins.

2 comments:

Smellyann said...

I like the new look, very pretty!

I have to laugh at your mom. Why on earth does she think that? And wow, she already knows "their" sexes too, huh? Pretty amazing... ;)

Heidi said...

Do twins run in your family?