Every pregnant woman is faced with the need to take all kinds of tests, and during the entire gestation period. There is one among them, according to which the level of hCG is determined. Many expectant mothers are of the opinion that he is needed only to establish the fact of motherhood, no more. In fact, this study allows not only to determine the gestational age, but also to identify possible pathologies in the development of the fetus.
And if a woman in the past had one unsuccessful attempt to conceive or several, then in this case each subsequent pregnancy is under special control.
Decoding of the term hCG
What should be understood by human chorionic gonadotropin? For what, in fact, is it intended and what role does it play? Without a doubt, these issues deserve special attention and analysis. HCG is a special hormone that is produced by the chorion immediately after the fertilized egg has attached itself to the uterine wall. In this regard, this hormone, namely the level of hCG, acts as the main indicator of a successful conception.
It is worth noting that in the body of non-pregnant women, in particular in the blood, there is also the hCG hormone, only a very miserable concentration. In this case, its level is the norm - 0-5 mU / ml. This indicates the absence of pregnancy, and the womanβs body itself is in a healthy state. However, any person has a hormone, and a significant excess of it indicates the occurrence of any undesirable processes.
As for the role of hCG, it is difficult to underestimate it. In the ovary of the female body there is a special endocrine gland, which is referred to as the corpus luteum and produces sex hormone - progesterone. Its feature is that it is not constant. It is born in the ovary immediately after the ovulation process and is completely absorbed by the beginning of the next menstrual cycle.
Like the level of hCG, the corpus luteum also brings significant benefits. If fertilization of the egg occurs, then the gland does not disappear anywhere and continues to function. Her responsibilities include maintaining a high level of progesterone, which is necessary for successful embryo fixation.
In addition, the yellow body has other responsibilities:
- Suppression of the maturation of new follicles.
- Preparation of the uterine endometrium for partial embryo implantation. At the same time, the mucous membrane of the genital organ becomes friable, the proliferation of blood vessels occurs, due to which its blood supply increases.
- Preparing the mammary glands for future feeding.
The body of any person perceives any body that has got inside as an alien. This also includes a developing embryo inside the mother. This is where the corpus luteum manifests itself, which, through the production of sex hormone, reduces the immune response to the appearance of a βforeignβ organism, but in fact it is not. Thus, the pregnancy persists.
And now we are gradually moving to the value of the hCG level in the blood of a pregnant woman. In turn, this hormone supports the functioning of the corpus luteum, so that this gland calmly fulfills its direct duties. In addition, gonadotropin helps the female body in terms of hormonal changes and helps to adapt to the stress that inevitably occurs with the onset of pregnancy.
What is the need for control?
Many experts are inclined towards controlling gonadotropin levels. What is it for? Often, this requires blood donation for analysis, which is prescribed for all pregnant women after they are registered in the antenatal clinic. And this is also mandatory for all expectant mothers, without exception.
The level of hCG by weeks of pregnancy or days a specialist can tell a lot. First of all, with its help it is possible to precisely determine the date of conception. The hormone consists of alpha (Ξ±) and beta (Ξ²) particles, and it is the type of Ξ² that has a unique structure, which allows us to judge the fact of pregnancy. If the girl has a delay, there are no periods for two or three days, then it is worthwhile to conduct such an analysis.
But, besides this, you can make a regular test, which is easy to find in any pharmacy. That is, gonadotropin enters not only the bloodstream, but also the urine. At the same time, its concentration in the urine is significantly lower, by a factor of 2. The test strips familiar to many girls and women are less reliable, but a blood test can give an exhaustive answer, and in the early stages.
The need to control hCG levels every day or week is due to many factors, and this is not only a diagnosis of pregnancy:
- The study allows us to detect any abnormalities in the development of the fetus.
- Diagnosis of amenorrhea.
- Confirmation or refutation of the threat of miscarriage.
- Determining the risk of an ectopic pregnancy.
- Identification of indications for induced abortion.
- Diagnosis of probable malignant tumors.
Men should also donate blood for analysis of hCG, because in this case a certain risk of developing a testicular tumor will be identified.
Growth dynamics
Do not underestimate the role of gonadotropin in the female body. Starting from the very first day after the release of a mature egg, the concentration of hCG begins to increase. It is because of him that cardinal changes begin to occur in a woman, familiar to many. Due to changes in the level of hCG, not only the hormonal background changes over the weeks, but mood swings also occur, more often without reason, new taste preferences and many other manifestations characteristic of pregnant women appear.
What is characteristic, the amount of gonadotropin increases during 10 obstetric weeks, then its concentration decreases by week 20. But from 21 to 40 weeks, its level remains unchanged, right up to the birth of a child.
The growth dynamics of the gonadotropin level, which depends on the duration of the onset of pregnancy, is very interesting. At the very initial stage, it increases at a rapid pace - every two days its number doubles. To achieve a value of 1200 mU / ml takes 3-4 days. Upon reaching a concentration of 6000 mU / ml, doubling is already a little less common - every 96 hours (4 days).
This dynamics of hCG level growth by weeks is due to the fact that by the end of the first trimester, the formed placenta is included in hormonal support. The corpus luteum is no longer necessary, and this gland dissolves. In this regard, there is no need to produce a large number of hCG. In addition, the child is almost formed by this time.
Subsequently, the amount of hormone remains unchanged. In order to be able to control its concentration and identify any deviations, there is a special table in which its normal parameters are indicated. In addition to it, there is another table in which the amount of gonadotropin is expressed not in weeks, but in days, which gives a more complete picture of the course of pregnancy.
Daily Gonadotropin Standards
Below is the figure, which presents a table reflecting the normal values ββof the normal level of hCG by day.
It allows you to detect how quickly the amount of hormone increases in case of successful conception. Thus, a woman can independently monitor the course of pregnancy and, if necessary, promptly seek medical help.
At the same time, every expectant mother should understand that such monitoring is not a complete diagnosis. And if deviations from the norm are found, then so far this is an occasion for the appointment of additional research.
Weekly gonadotropin values
Now it's time to look at another table, where growth dynamics are visible, but a little differently - it reflects the level of hCG by weeks of pregnancy. It is located below.
It is rare when a single test for hCG hormone is prescribed to establish the fact of pregnancy in the early stages. Indeed, throughout the entire period of bearing a child, it is important to timely identify the presence of any pathology and take appropriate measures. And this is only possible if you observe changes in the level of gonadotropin in the dynamics of days or weeks.
Not every attending physician prescribes such a study, but you should not immediately blame him for incompetence. Most likely, the pregnancy is proceeding normally, and the specialist simply has no reason to refer a woman for analysis of hCG.
Interpretation of Results
The specialist should decrypt the results obtained from the analyzes, since there are some nuances here. First of all, it is worth considering that in the existing table the level of hCG from conception is reflected in relation to obstetric weeks, and they begin from the first day of the last menstruation. For this reason, the norm for a period of less than 2 weeks is not indicated. But in order not to get confused, it should be remembered that between the actual pregnancy (fetal period) and the obstetric period, the difference is exactly these two weeks.
There are cases when during the study the result shows the amount of gonadotropin less than 25 mIU / ml, but more than 5 mIU / ml. In this case, the analysis should be repeated after a few days. This will make sure that the ovulation process is still happening.
But even with a noticeable deviation from the norm, you should not worry. Then the doctor prescribes the necessary additional examinations. After all, there is a likelihood that a woman does not have any pathologies, as with a child, and a change in hormone concentration is caused by an individual characteristic of the body.
In addition, the data obtained during the analysis regarding the level of hCG by days from conception should be compared with the normative indicators of the laboratory where the study was conducted. This is due to the fact that each laboratory uses its own methodology for calculating hCG. Actually, for this reason, the data are different.
Deviations from the norm
If during the study a deviation from the normative indicators is found within 20% or more, a second study is appointed. And if during the second test an even greater degree of deviation of the gonadotropin level from the norm is detected, the doctor may suspect the presence of any pathology in the female body.
At the same time, if the picture did not change during the second examination - the level of hCG in the early stages is still the same, and the woman herself feels great at the same time, then the doctor considers this as a feature of her body.
However, there is cause for concern. In some cases, the concentration of gonadotropin changes both upward and downward. And there are reasons for this.
Factors that lead to an excessive increase in the amount of hCG hormone:
- The presence of diabetes.
- The gestational age was incorrect.
- The presence of gestosis.
- The prolonged nature of pregnancy.
- Trophoblastic tumor.
In addition, if the hCG index is above the norm exactly 1.5-2 times, then this is probably a reason for double joy, since multiple pregnancy is not excluded. With triple, the concentration is increased three times!
Some women take Pregnil or Horagon drugs to stimulate ovulation.
The reasons for the low level of hCG are also disappointing:
- Ectopic fetal location.
- Frozen fruit.
- The threat of miscarriage, in which the amount of hCG is below normal by 50%.
- Chronic fetoplacental insufficiency.
In addition, the nature of the deviations may indicate the development of a number of anomalies in the fetus:
- Down syndrome usually occurs against the background of increased levels of hCG.
- The presence of Edwards and Patau syndromes will be indicated by a significant decrease in gonadotropin.
- But as for Turner syndrome, the amount of hCG remains unchanged throughout the entire period of pregnancy.
- Anomalies in the development of the neural tube or heart of the fetus.
If there is a risk of developing any pathology in relation to the child, it is in the interests of the doctor to prescribe the necessary procedure: chorionic biopsy, invasive diagnosis, amniocentesis or cordocentesis.
HCG level in the ectopic position of the fetus
The case of an ectopic pregnancy is a real blow to the female psyche, and it affects physical health. Until now, the nature of this phenomenon, and in particular the true causes of its occurrence, has not been elucidated. Specialists only make a helpless gesture, seeing how the embryo began to develop in the wrong place.
As for the level of gonadotropin, it is lowered, but may initially remain within the normal range. But after a while, the dynamics of changes change dramatically, and downward. If you conduct a timely study, then you can identify the ovarian or tubular attachment of the embryo. But the only and reliable diagnosis was and remains an ultrasound examination.
Frozen pregnancy
As with ectopic pregnancy, the level of hCG in this case is also lower than normal rates. This phenomenon is characterized by the termination of fetal development of the fetus or, in other words, the embryo dies. Often this happens during the first trimester, that is, until 13-14 weeks. Nevertheless, in some cases, the development of the child may stop at a later date. Moreover, at this time it is not possible to detect this pathology, since it manifests itself after a few weeks after the death of the fetus.
The doctor may suspect a missed pregnancy when the growth dynamics of the hormone stops. And if at the same time the woman is not the first time to take an analysis for hCG, then the results are below the information of the previous study. In the normal course of pregnancy, hCG changes gradually and does not exceed normal values.
The nature of this phenomenon is also not fully understood, and therefore there is no data on what exactly the level of hCG in the urine and blood accurately indicates a frozen pregnancy. But one thing is important for sure - you need to monitor growth dynamics, in addition, you should take into account the characteristics of the body, and they are individual for each woman.
Immunity resistance
In some cases, women may experience spontaneous miscarriages, which should already be alarming, because this is not just happening. And the answer is quite simple and consists in the development of antibodies to hCG, which happens in some women. As a rule, they are not synthesized and then pregnancy proceeds in a normal mode. But in some cases, these defenders, without realizing it, completely block the production of hCG, which leads to spontaneous miscarriage or premature birth.
The reasons for this may be different:
- Genetic predisposition.
- Incorrect work of the female body immunity.
- Severe viral disease.
- The introduction of drugs with hCG during IVF.
During in vitro fertilization from the moment of administration of gonadotropin, female immunity perceives the hormone as a threat and gives a command to develop antibodies in an enhanced mode. As a result, the level of hCG is reduced, which is more a response to a foreign body than a pathology.
Therefore, in the event of a miscarriage, a woman must necessarily undergo a study to determine antibodies to hCG. And if the result is positive, then she will be prescribed the necessary drug course of treatment during the first three months of pregnancy.
Conclusion
From all this, the only true conclusion can be made: monitoring the dynamics of the growth of gonadotropin is the first necessity, since this forms the general picture of the course of pregnancy. In the case of any pathology, the concentration of the hormone changes in any direction, which the doctor will certainly find out about. Only for this it is necessary to take all the prescribed tests and conduct additional studies, if necessary. It is in the interests of every expectant mother.
As for the results themselves, any woman can find out what level of hCG in her body. However, she can interpret it in her own way and not always perceive the information in her favor. For this reason, the decryption should be entrusted exclusively to a specialist, since, as is now known, there are certain nuances.