Before all, new moms have to highlight that HCG level can be changed following to pregnancy period and normal level HCG is only one of important indicators of healthy pregnancy.
For new mother who want to know if their HCG level is normal or not, they can use home pregnancy test to measure HCG level since this hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin will rise steadily during the early part of pregnancy. If it is less than 5 mlU/ml (milli-International units per milliliter), you are not pregnant according to American Pregnancy Association standard. But if the level is above 25 mlU/ml, congratulations! You are (likely) pregnant. A transvaginal ultrasound can usually detect a gestational sac after the HCG levels have risen to 1,000 to 2,000. By seven to eight weeks after your last menstrual period, levels of HCG should have risen to between 7,650 and 229,000 mlU/ml. Levels of this hormone will usually top off at between 25,700 and 288,000 mlU/ml by nine to 12 weeks since your last menstrual period. By the third trimester HCG levels may have dropped to a range between 3,640 and 117,000 mlU/ml---still well above a reading of 5 or less for a non-pregnant woman. Wow!
Normally, HCG level doubles every 48 hours, but sometimes take up to 96 hours during the first eight to 11 weeks of healthy pregnancy. A very high level of HCG in early pregnancy can indicate a molar pregnancy (a malignant growth that began as a pregnancy), misdating or multiple fetuses, while a very low level may be a sign of an impending miscarriage, misdating or an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that occurs outside a women's uterus in a place where the fetus cannot survive). Your health practitioner may take several blood tests over the course of a few weeks in order to determine if your HCG levels are in the correct range and are rising as they should.
HCG level is significant because it help preventing your body from shedding the egg as part of monthly menstrual cycle and also keeps the growing embryo nourished during early pregnancy. It is the reason of many early pregnancy effects including nausea, morning sickness and vomiting. Increased pregnancy symptoms may be related to high HCG levels that could happen if you were expecting twins, for instance. Anyhow, HCG level will generally drop in the second and third trimester and those unfavorable pregnant symptoms will be gone.
All in all, if you are trying to check normal HCG levels due to concerns about the pregnancy, remember that either low or high HCG levels (as measured through a quantitative blood test) do not always mean there is something wrong. Sometimes it just the conception happened sooner or later than was originally thought. Use HCG measurements as one of the guidelines and try to get 3-4 blood test HCG measurements to make sure of the results. A transvaginal ultrasound will provide a much more accurate picture of your pregnancy, and should be used to confirm HCG measurements.
References
- American Pregnancy Association on hCG levels
- National Institute of Health about hCG
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