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Chronic human gonadotropin (hCG for short) is the so-called “pregnancy hormone” because this indicator is responsible for the balance of hormones in the body of a pregnant woman. A blood test for hCG, oddly enough, is prescribed not only for women, but also for men. This is a very important study with which you can prevent the development of serious diseases.
What does hCG affect?
Syncytiotrophoblast is a hormone-producing component of a fertilized egg. HCG has a stimulating effect on the development of the placenta. Human chronic gonadotropin is produced not only during gestation, but also in benign and malignant tumors, so the analysis is prescribed for women and men to diagnose cancer.
Some doctors believe that an excess of the hormone provokes the development of tumors, therefore, it is forbidden to sell dietary and homeopathic medicines, which include human chronic gonadotropin, without a doctor’s prescription abroad.
The composition of the hormone includes alpha (thyroid-stimulating and luteinizing hormone) and beta (unique hormone) units. In human blood, the beta component is determined a week later, on the 7-8th day after the conception of a child. 1-1,5 weeks after delivery, hCG in blood plasma and urine should not be found.
Chronic gonadotropin performs several functions in the human body: it prepares the immune system of the expectant mother for the fetus, helps the adrenal glands and gonads of the embryo, accelerates the production of estrogen and progesterone during the first weeks of pregnancy, stimulates the production of testosterone in the male embryo.
An elevated level of the hormone indicates a woman’s pregnancy, but may also indicate abnormal and pathological changes in the embryo, oncology, and insulin deficiency. When comparing indicators at different periods of bearing a child, a gynecologist will be able to detect an ectopic conception of a child. Elevated hormone levels in men may indicate testicular cancer. A decrease in human chronic gonadotropin levels is a very negative change and more research will be needed to determine the cause of low hCG.
Types of blood tests for hormones
There are 2 studies on the hormone: general and free. These analyzes are assigned for completely different purposes. The study of blood plasma for the total hormone is necessary for the diagnosis of pregnancy in the early stages (2-3 days after conception). If there are no pathological processes in the woman’s body, then hCG in the first 2-3 weeks increases by 2 times every few days. The maximum level of human chronic gonadotropin is observed at the tenth week of pregnancy. After 10 weeks, the concentration of the hormone is on the decline.
A free analysis for beta units is prescribed to diagnose testicular cancer, hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma. It is advisable to donate blood for research in the first and second trimester of pregnancy in order to assess the risk of having Edwards and Down syndrome in the embryo. With a “positive” result, the woman is at risk, but one cannot judge the development of the fetus based on the study data alone. Women carrying a child, gynecologists recommend donating blood for the hormone twice during pregnancy: at 9-12 and 15-20 weeks.
Indications for a blood test for hCG
Women over 30-35 years old must take a blood test for hCG without fail in order to exclude serious diagnoses that will be quite difficult to cure in the future.
The indications for the procedure are:
- diagnosis of testicular tumors (the normal level of the hormone in males should be no less than 5 mU / ml);
- pregnancy and planning for the conception of a child;
- failure of the menstrual cycle, delay (may indicate ovarian dysfunction, intoxication of the body, infections and inflammations);
- suspicion of trophoblastic neoplasms;
- suspicion of ectopic conception of the baby.
Donating blood to test the level of hCG
For the procedure, the laboratory assistant will need the patient’s venous blood. For the accuracy and informativeness of the result, a person should take blood on an empty stomach. The last meal of the patient should be at least eight hours before the start of the manipulation.
Before the procedure, 1-1,5 weeks before the procedure, the patient needs to stop using drugs that contain hormones, in particular hCG. Medicines for the treatment of infertility should also be temporarily canceled. In order to avoid adverse reactions and complications due to the withdrawal of drugs, it is necessary to consult with your doctor.
To clarify the term of conception of the baby, the analysis should be carried out no earlier than after 4-5 days of delay in menstruation. Repeating the test is recommended after a few days in order to clarify the results. After surgical interventions, including abortion and curettage, it is advisable to donate venous blood.
A nurse takes a blood sample to the patient, she prepares and signs the container for the biomaterial. First you need to sit on the couch and put your hand on the table, while the palm should be pointing up. The specialist pulls the arm with a tourniquet, placing it just below the shoulder. Next, the injection site must be treated with a cotton pad previously moistened with ethyl alcohol.
The patient must clench and unclench his fist for a minute so that the vein fills with blood. During the sampling of the biomaterial, the fingers must be clenched into a fist. The needle gently penetrates the vein and the blood enters the syringe. The resulting material is sent to a sterile container or test tube for further diagnostics. The patient is attached to the injection site with cotton wool with alcohol. It is necessary to bend the arm and not move it for at least 5 minutes, so as not to provoke a subcutaneous hematoma.
The results of the analysis can be obtained the next day. Private clinics offer an express results service, with which the patient receives an answer a few hours after donating blood.
Deciphering the results of the analysis for the level of hCG
Only a highly qualified specialist can diagnose the result. The hormone in healthy men should range from 0 to 2,5 mU / ml, in women who have not been pregnant, within 0-5 mU / ml. In women carrying a baby, in the first week of pregnancy – 20-150 mU / ml, in the second and third weeks it increases to 100-4870 mU / ml, and at 21-39 weeks the highest level of hCG is found – from 2700 to 78 thousand honey / ml.
In each research center, the norms may differ from each other, so patients should request a transcript from the same medical institution.
An elevated level of chronic human gonadotropin in non-pregnant girls and men indicates oncology.
In women who are carrying a baby, the hCG rate can be increased due to insulin deficiency, early preeclampsia and toxicosis, embryonic anomalies, the use of drugs that increase the production of progesterone, gestagenic action, prolonged or multiple conception of a child.
A low level of the hormone in pregnant women may indicate an ectopic conception, a frozen fetus, placental insufficiency, intrauterine death of the baby, and over-carrying of the embryo. If the hCG indicator has a fifty percent deviation from the norm, then the woman has a real threat of abortion.
According to statistics, about 95-98% of patients receive reliable test results, with which you can control the course of pregnancy, serious diseases and prevent the development of pathologies and anomalies.