Human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG for short, is a hormone produced in the placenta that ensures the maintenance of pregnancy due to its many important functions. A distinction is made between alpha-HCG and beta-HCG, although only the latter HCG, beta-HCG, gives the pregnancy hormone its specific character.
HCG at the beginning of pregnancy
In the first phase of pregnancy, HCG is already involved in the implantation of the fertilized egg in the endometrium. It causes the release of the so-called corpus luteum hormones estrogen and progesterone, which make the uterine lining grow, and also ensures the absence of menstruation and thus the possible maintenance of pregnancy. Otherwise, the body would reject the unborn baby.
Pregnant? HCG values by pregnancy test
Among other things, the HCG value is determined with every pregnancy test. While an elevated HCG value may suggest pregnancy, simply comparing units on the HCG chart does not provide certainty about this. If a woman is pregnant, the HCG value first increases in the blood and then in the urine, with the blood test being more reliable. Thus, an HCG pregnancy test of the blood can give certainty about the question “Pregnant or not?” already after one week, i.e. before the absence of the period.
In addition, the HCG value can also provide information about the course of pregnancy to a certain extent:
- If the HCG value is very low despite pregnancy or it falls, this could be an indication of a miscarriage or a pregnancy outside the uterus (for example, an ectopic pregnancy).
- A very high HCG value, on the other hand, could indicate a multiple birth or a malignant growth of the placenta.
- Also on a possible presence of trisomy 21, the so-called Down syndrome, gives in particular the free beta-HCG information.
HCG Table: What HCG value is normal?
Many women who wish to have a child study the normal ranges of the HCG chart – whether to test whether they are pregnant or to check the progress of a pregnancy. Since the hormone is also injected during fertility treatment, an elevated HCG value can lead to a false result in the pregnancy test here in particular. In addition, the normal range of the HCG value is subject to enormous deviations and can therefore only be a vague guide.
Instead of using an HCG table to circle a specific number, it makes more sense to keep an eye on the curve. As a rule, the HCG value doubles every two to three days during the first seven weeks of pregnancy. After a peak value, reached between the eighth and eleventh week, it drops again, but remains detectable until the end of the pregnancy. After a miscarriage or abortion, the HCG level does not drop to normal for several weeks.
Due to the large range, the values of the HCG table also do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the week of pregnancy. HCG values play a role not only in a possible pregnancy, but also as a tumor marker in the field of cancer.
HCG as a tumor marker
If pregnancy has been ruled out, the HCG value can also be a marker for a hormone-related tumor or provide information about the course of a tumor disease. HCG levels are checked weekly as part of tumor treatment. Most commonly, certain forms of testicular cancer, uterine cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer are associated with elevated levels. Other malignant cancers, such as colorectal cancer or lung cancer, are less common.
Human chorionic gonadotropin is also used in medicine for boys whose lowering of the scrotum is disturbed. In addition, attempts are being made to prevent testicular shrinkage in athletes of power sports caused by the artificial administration of testosterone, because the pregnancy hormone also stimulates the body’s own testosterone production.
