BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuPregnancy testA pregnancy test measures a hormone in the body called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG or hCG). HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy. It appears in the blood and urine of pregnant women as early as 10 days after conception. How the Test is Performed A pregnancy test is done using blood or urine. There are 2 types of blood tests:Qualitative, which measures whether the HCG hormone is present Quantitative, which measures how much HCG is presentThe blood test is done by drawing a single tube of blood and sending it to a laboratory. You may wait anywhere from a few hours to more than a day to get the results.The urine HCG test is most often performed by placing a drop of urine on a prepared chemical strip. It takes 1 to 2 minutes for a result.For the urine test, you urinate into a cup.For the blood test, the health care provider uses a needle and syringe to draw blood from your vein into a tube. Any discomfort you might feel from the blood draw will only last a few seconds.Draw blood from your veinVenipuncture is the collection of blood from a vein. It is most often done for laboratory testing.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article How the Test will Feel For the urine test, you urinate into a cup. For the blood test, the provider uses a needle and syringe to draw blood from your vein into a tube. Any discomfort you might feel from the blood draw will only last a few seconds. Why the Test is Performed This test is done to:Determine if you are pregnant Diagnose abnormal conditions that can raise HCG levels Watch the development of the pregnancy during the first 2 months (quantitative test only) Normal Results HCG level rises rapidly during the first trimester of pregnancy and then slightly declines. What Abnormal Results Mean HCG level should almost double every 48 hours in the beginning of a pregnancy. An HCG level that does not rise appropriately may indicate a problem with your pregnancy. Problems related to an abnormal rising HCG level include miscarriage and ectopic (tubal) pregnancy.MiscarriageA miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy. Pregnancy losses after the 20th week are called stillbirths. Mi...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Ectopic (tubal) pregnancyAn ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs outside the womb (uterus).ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article An extremely high level of HCG may suggest a molar pregnancy or more than one fetus, for example, twins.Your provider will discuss the meaning of your HCG level with you. Considerations Urine pregnancy tests will only be positive when you have enough HCG in your blood. Most over-the-counter home pregnancy tests will not show that you are pregnant until your expected menstrual cycle is late. Testing before this will often give an inaccurate result. The HCG level is higher if your urine is more concentrated. A good time to test is when you first get up in the morning. If you think you are pregnant, repeat the pregnancy test at home or at your provider's office.Open ReferencesReferencesJeelani R, Bluth MH. Reproductive function and pregnancy. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 26.Warner EA, Herold AH. Interpreting laboratory tests. In: Rakel RE, Rakel DP, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 14.AllVideoImagesTogPregnancy test - illustration The qualitative urine human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) test is a pregnancy test that can be performed at home by a woman to determine pregnancy. To perform the test the woman places the test strip, which has a chemically sensitive substance, under her urine stream. Within minutes the test reveals whether the woman is positive (pregnant), or negative (not pregnant).Pregnancy testillustrationPregnancy test - illustration The qualitative urine human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) test is a pregnancy test that can be performed at home by a woman to determine pregnancy. To perform the test the woman places the test strip, which has a chemically sensitive substance, under her urine stream. Within minutes the test reveals whether the woman is positive (pregnant), or negative (not pregnant).Pregnancy testillustrationSelf Care Prenatal care in your first trimesterPre-existing diabetes and pregnancyPrenatal care in your second trimesterVaginal bleeding in early pregnancyGestational diabetes - self-careTeenage pregnancy Preterm laborPrenatal care in your third trimesterPreeclampsia - self-care Tests for Pregnancy test Pregnancy testGlucose screening tests during pregnancyHCG in urineQuadruple screen testHCG blood test - qualitativeHCG blood test - quantitativeUltrasound pregnancyGlucose tolerance test - non-pregnantVDRL testChorionic villus samplingRelated Information HCG in urine(Medical Test)HCG blood test - qualitative(Medical Test)HCG blood test - quantitative(Medical Test)Miscarriage(Condition)Ectopic pregnancy(Condition) Review Date: 11/10/2022 Reviewed By: John D. Jacobson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. 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Pregnancy testA pregnancy test measures a hormone in the body called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG or hCG). HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy. It appears in the blood and urine of pregnant women as early as 10 days after conception. How the Test is Performed A pregnancy test is done using blood or urine. There are 2 types of blood tests:Qualitative, which measures whether the HCG hormone is present Quantitative, which measures how much HCG is presentThe blood test is done by drawing a single tube of blood and sending it to a laboratory. You may wait anywhere from a few hours to more than a day to get the results.The urine HCG test is most often performed by placing a drop of urine on a prepared chemical strip. It takes 1 to 2 minutes for a result.For the urine test, you urinate into a cup.For the blood test, the health care provider uses a needle and syringe to draw blood from your vein into a tube. Any discomfort you might feel from the blood draw will only last a few seconds.Draw blood from your veinVenipuncture is the collection of blood from a vein. It is most often done for laboratory testing.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article How the Test will Feel For the urine test, you urinate into a cup. For the blood test, the provider uses a needle and syringe to draw blood from your vein into a tube. Any discomfort you might feel from the blood draw will only last a few seconds. Why the Test is Performed This test is done to:Determine if you are pregnant Diagnose abnormal conditions that can raise HCG levels Watch the development of the pregnancy during the first 2 months (quantitative test only) Normal Results HCG level rises rapidly during the first trimester of pregnancy and then slightly declines. What Abnormal Results Mean HCG level should almost double every 48 hours in the beginning of a pregnancy. An HCG level that does not rise appropriately may indicate a problem with your pregnancy. Problems related to an abnormal rising HCG level include miscarriage and ectopic (tubal) pregnancy.MiscarriageA miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy. Pregnancy losses after the 20th week are called stillbirths. Mi...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Ectopic (tubal) pregnancyAn ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs outside the womb (uterus).ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article An extremely high level of HCG may suggest a molar pregnancy or more than one fetus, for example, twins.Your provider will discuss the meaning of your HCG level with you. Considerations Urine pregnancy tests will only be positive when you have enough HCG in your blood. Most over-the-counter home pregnancy tests will not show that you are pregnant until your expected menstrual cycle is late. Testing before this will often give an inaccurate result. The HCG level is higher if your urine is more concentrated. A good time to test is when you first get up in the morning. If you think you are pregnant, repeat the pregnancy test at home or at your provider's office.Open ReferencesReferencesJeelani R, Bluth MH. Reproductive function and pregnancy. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 26.Warner EA, Herold AH. Interpreting laboratory tests. In: Rakel RE, Rakel DP, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 14.