Elevated Beta-hCG Levels If you are using a regular pregnancy test (not the super-sensitive variety) and get an immediate positive (especially a very dark positive indicator) a few days before your period is due, there may be an increased chance that you are carrying twins.
If you get a positive test, especially a really dark positive, days before your period is even due, that may be one of the early signs of twins! The more babies you're carrying, the higher and faster your human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG) rises.
An immediate dark positive result could mean that there's a high concentration of hCG in your urine, and the test is showing an immediate dark result due to the hormone level. One thing to note is that all home pregnancy tests are different and may detect hCG at different levels.
It's also called the pregnancy line. It runs from your belly button to your public area but can extend towards your abdomen. The linea nigra may appear darker as your pregnancy develops and is more visible in people with darker complexions.
However, home pregnancy tests won't confirm if twins are present, only the presence of hCG. It takes around 2 weeks after conception for hCG to be detected in a hCG pregnancy test. Low levels of hCG may be detected in a woman's blood 8-11 days after conception.
Seeing twins at 6 weeks is definitely possible. The exact time twins can be detected depends on the type of twins, for example, if they're identical (from one egg) or not. At this stage, the presence of two yolk sacs can be seen, and separate heartbeats distinguished.
The darker line is usually the control line. Sometimes this second line is so faint, you can barely see it. If there is a line, not an evaporation line, but a true line, no matter how light, you should read that as a positive pregnancy test.
In a healthy pregnancy, the levels of the hormone should double every 2 to 3 days. While the line might be faint at the very beginning of pregnancy, as time goes on and the pregnancy advances, the line that the test produces should get darker and more apparent.
You cannot conclusively distinguish a single pregnancy from twins on a urine pregnancy test. That said, you may have a very early positive pregnancy test if you are carrying twins.
Early signs of a twin pregnancy include severe morning sickness, quick weight gain, and more breast tenderness. You may also notice an increased appetite or extreme fatigue. Plus, those who have a twin pregnancy may begin showing sooner.
In the first few weeks of your twin pregnancy, you might notice some typical signs of early pregnancy, such as breast tenderness, fatigue, nausea, and a missed period.
A high level of HCG indicates that a person is pregnant. A negative qualitative HCG test means a person is not pregnant. If they still suspect that they are pregnant, a person should repeat the test after a few days . False-positive results may occur if hormone levels are high due to menopause or hormone supplements.
However, few genes appear to be definitively linked to hyperovulation, so it could just be that genetics in general on the mother's side contribute to the probability of having fraternal twins. Heredity on the father's side, on the other hand, does not increase a couple's odds of having twins.
Twin Babies!
If the line of children on your palm is said to be forked at the end, it's an indication of twins. There will be high chances of your delivering twin babies.
“Higher hCG levels can be an indicator of a twin pregnancy, but it's not conclusive evidence,” Dr. Garg says. “Two placentas in twin pregnancies produce more hCG in comparison to the single placenta in a singleton pregnancy.” So, one explanation for a higher-than-average hCG level could be a normal twin pregnancy.
The most common reason for a darker test line is a positive pregnancy. A pregnant woman contains a hCG hormone which is detected by the test strip and if the hormone is in high concentration, the test line would be darker than the control line.
Although the line should be darker in relation to higher concentrations of hCG, the actual amount of hCG in a sample of urine can vary. This fluctuation is due in large part to the concentration of your urine at any given time.
Any positive line, no matter how faint, means your result is pregnant. Levels of hCG in your body will increase over the course of your pregnancy. If you test early, your hCG levels may be still be low and you'll see a faint positive line.
Range of hCG levels and what they can mean
The range for singletons is 5 – 397 and for twins it is 48 – 683.
With a twin pregnancy, your body makes high levels of pregnancy hormones. So morning sickness may come on earlier and stronger than if you were carrying a single baby. You may also have earlier and more intense symptoms from pregnancy, like swelling, heartburn, leg cramps, bladder discomfort, and sleep problems.
In general, women carrying twins are more likely to “show” sooner than those with a single pregnancy. However, many women show much earlier in subsequent pregnancies than their first, so this isn't an entirely reliable way to predict a twin pregnancy. In the early stages of pregnancy, breasts can feel sore and tender.
Don t be surprised if you develop a bit of a 6 weeks pregnant belly. Although your 6 week embryo is still well down in your pelvis, some women, especially those who've been pregnant before, seem to show much earlier. General abdominal distention is usually the cause.