Pregnancy Blood Test (hCG, Total, Quantitative)
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Pregnancy Blood Test (hCG, Total, Quantitative)
Test Description
A pregnant blood test detects hCG in the blood and rules out or confirms pregnancy. hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone that the placenta of pregnant women produces. In early pregnancy, the hCG level rises in the blood and is eradicated in the urine. During the early period of pregnancy, hCG is imperative to maintain the function of the corpus luteum. Human chorionic gonadotropin production increases gradually during the first trimester (eight to ten weeks) of a normal pregnancy, peaking around the tenth week after the last menstrual cycle. Human chorionic gonadotropin levels then drop gradually during the rest of the pregnancy. After delivery, hCG is no longer noticeable within a few weeks. When pregnancy happens outside of the ectopic (uterus), the hCG level in the blood rises gradually. When there is suspicion of ectopic pregnancy, determining the hCG level in the blood over time may help make a diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. Likewise, the hCG blood level may be irregular when the developing baby has a chromosome defect like Down syndrome. An hCG test is performed in routine and in combination with a few other tests as screening part for fetal abnormalities between pregnancy of 11 and 12 weeks. When to order pregnancy blood test? Your healthcare practitioner may refer the test with other names such as beta-hCG blood test, quantitative blood pregnancy test, or quantitative hCG blood test. The pregnancy blood test or hCG blood test is carried out to:
- Confirm pregnancy
- Detect the approximate age of the fetus
- Diagnose an abnormal pregnancy like ectopic pregnancy
- Screening for down syndrome
- Diagnose a potential miscarriage
- Swollen and tender breasts
- Frequent urination
- Fatigue
- Vomiting and nausea - morning sickness
- Bloated feeling in the abdomen