I went back on December 9 for more blood work. My hCG levels should double every 48 hours. hCG is "Human Chorionic Gondotropin" or the "pregnancy hormone". It is produced by the placenta at implantation and the levels continue to rise until about 10-12 weeks of pregnancy, at which point they stabilize or drop.
The presence of normal hCG levels indicates you are pregnant. When you take a home pregnancy test it is looking for traces of hCG in your urine. When they do a blood test (or beta) they are looking for the level of hCG in your blood. It's one of the early ways they determine if the pregnancy is progressing. There is a wide range of "normal" levels:
In a positive pregnancy, the hCG levels usually double every 48-72 hours and increases by at least 60% every 2 days. My first "beta" was 675. My second beta was something around 1453, which was great news. The pregnancy was progressing. My only job now (aside from my "real" job of course) is to stay stress free and take good care of myself.
Week from the Last Menstrual Period Amount of HCG in mIU/ml 3 5 -50 4 3 - 426 5 19 - 7,340 6 1,080 - 56,500 7 - 8 7,650 - 229,000 9 - 12 25,700 - 288,000 13 - 16 13,300 - 254,000 17 - 24 4,060 - 165,400 25 - 40 3,640 - 117,000
We were scheduled for our first ultra sound on Monday!
Thank you Kate! I love your blog. Very informative and I can't wait for the next entry. This journey has been so interesting and I am thrilled for you and Eddie. This couldn't happen to a more loving couple. Love you! Gma
ReplyDeleteAhh Kate I love your blog. I see that Sammy's and Zach's elf on the shelf kept you on bed rest ..LOL. This really is a wonderful journey to parenthood. Love you both.
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