Blood Pregnancy Test (Beta hCG)

What is hCG?

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a vital hormone produced in the placenta during pregnancy. The placenta is a nutritive organ that develops during pregnancy to provide oxygen and other vital nutrients to the embryo via the umbilical cord as it grows in the uterus.

Why take an hCG test?

While home pregnancy tests can be used as preliminary tests to indicate pregnancy, most healthcare providers strongly recommend that women receive an hCG test to confirm. Over-the-counter urine tests are simply not as reliable or as detailed as hCG tests. While it isn't common, home tests can easily produce false-positive results and false-negative results. HCG tests, which use blood samples to test for hormone levels, are much more effective tools for your doctor's office to confirm pregnancy. An hCG test can confirm a positive result in very early pregnancy, or roughly 11 days from conception.

Additionally, hCG screening tests also provide pregnant women much more information than home tests alone. Obstetricians can use the hCG levels present in your blood sample to glean valuable insights into how the pregnancy is proceeding. HCG levels peak somewhere between 8 - 11 weeks into the first trimester and then begin to fall. Unlike home tests you can get from a drugstore (urine pregnancy tests), an hCG blood test can provide a range of gestational age and help generate an estimated due date.

HCG tests are also helpful in assessing a variety of developmental and prenatal issues, such as testing for Down syndrome, gestational diabetes, and more. Low levels of hCG can indicate ectopic pregnancies. The hCG test may also be used for measuring hCG levels in individuals with other diseases such as tumors of the ovaries, bladder, pancreas, stomach, lungs and liver.

Where can I get an hCG test near me?

Please use our Lab Locator to find find a convenient pregnancy testing location.

Reviewed By: Dr. Kurt Kloss, MD
Last Reviewed Date: Mar 25, 2020