Pregnancy blood tests can detect hCG hormone levels as low as 5 to 10 mIU/mL. Urine tests. At-home urine tests require higher levels of hCG to detect a pregnancy, typically at least 20 mIU/mL.
Test accuracy and sensitivity
Some researchers have estimated that 25 mIU/mL is the lowest amount of hCG a test must be able to measure in order to identify 99% of true positives on the day of an expected period or later.
Normal Results
Normal levels are found in: Non-pregnant women: less than 5 mIU/mL. Healthy men: less than 2 mIU/mL.
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.
An hCG level of less than 5 mIU/mL is considered negative for pregnancy, and anything above 25 mIU/mL is considered positive for pregnancy. An hCG level between 6 and 24 mIU/mL is considered a grey area, and you'll likely need to be retested to see if your levels rise to confirm a pregnancy.
Low levels of hCG can indicate whether a pregnancy is in a stage where low hCG levels are normal, such as in very early pregnancy, or in a pregnancy that is post-11 weeks. Sometimes, in cases of miscalculated gestational age, the level of hCG may be lower than expected but not abnormal for the pregnancy.
What Does 0-5 Beta HCG Value Mean? If the Beta HCG value are inbetween 0-5, that means pregnancy did not occur. Values such as 0.1 and 1.20 can be seen.
Low levels of hCG are normal for non-pregnant women and men. Normally, hCG levels would be less than 5 mIU/mL and less than 2 mIU/mL, respectively, for these groups. If you're pregnant and experience low hCG levels, it's important to look at your entire pregnancy as a whole.
A borderline result is generated by some assays when the hCG level is between 5 and 25 mIU/mL. Samples reported as borderline are considered indeterminate, and clinicians should request a repeat test within 48 to 72 hours or obtain a quantitative serum hCG.
Average hCG levels: Less than 10 U/L in non-pregnant women. 10 to 25 U/L for a 'borderline' pregnancy result. more than 25 U/L for a postive result.
The strength of the positive test line depends on how much hCG is in your urine. If the line is faint, it usually means that the hCG level is low. One reason why hCG levels may be low could be because you're still very early into your pregnancy.
What level of hCG can pregnancy tests detect? Generally, most home pregnancy tests claim to detect hCG levels from 25 mIU/ml. However, some tests, such as the Clearblue® Early Digital Pregnancy Test and the Clearblue Early Detection Pregnancy Test, are so sensitive they can detect hCG levels as low as 10 mIU/ml.
The HCG levels at 2 weeks pregnant remain largely unchanged from a 1 week pregnant. Average hCG levels: Less than 10 U/L in non-pregnant women. 10 to 25 U/L for a 'borderline' pregnancy result.
Could a positive result be wrong? That's rare. But it is possible to get a positive result from a home pregnancy test when you're not pregnant. This is called a false-positive.
That said, hCG levels vary from person to person and pregnancy to pregnancy, so hCG levels are not definitive to determine a twin pregnancy. Some people have high hCG levels and only give birth to one baby; others have exceptionally low hCG levels and give birth to multiples.
1500-2000IU/mL of hCG) may be either a chemical pregnancy (in the uterus) or a tubal abortion and an ultimate differential diagnosis may never become clinically possible.
"Low hCG levels may represent a very early pregnancy or a pregnancy that is ending in miscarriage," says Dr. Lang. Other causes include blighted ovum (the fertilized egg fails to develop properly) and ectopic pregnancy (the embryo implanted somewhere outside of the uterus—usually the fallopian tube).
While mean hCG follows a log-quadratic trajectory during the first week of detectability, there is high variability across pregnancies. Later implantation may reflect characteristics of the uterus or conceptus that slow hCG production.
About 11-14 days after implantation, a woman's hCG levels are high enough to start causing early pregnancy symptoms. Some of these might include fatigue, food cravings, darkening in the color of the nipples, or gastrointestinal changes. When a woman experiences these symptoms, a pregnancy test may show up positive.
Hormone differences for baby boys and girls
Studies have shown hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin, the hormone responsible for the second line appearing on a home pregnancy test) is higher for female fetuses compared with males, and remains higher throughout pregnancy.
It can be tempting to try remedies or foods that purportedly help raise your hCG levels. Unfortunately, there's no way to change your hCG levels or make them go up. What's more, hCG levels reflect information about your pregnancy, but changing them wouldn't address the cause of any potential problems.