Which is more accurate, blood HCG or urine HCG?

Is the pregnancy test accurate? How long is the best time to measure HCG after having sex? Is an increase in HCG necessarily a pregnancy?

Uses of HCG

Uses of HCG

Qualitative (reported as positive or negative) HCG testing is routinely used to confirm pregnancy
.

HCG quantitative (reporting a specific value) test (also called ?-HCG), which detects the actual amount of HCG in the blood

HCG is a protein produced by the placenta of pregnant women
.

A pregnancy test is a special test that confirms pregnancy by detecting HCG in blood or urine

In the first few weeks of pregnancy, HCG plays an important role in maintaining the function of the corpus luteum
.

In the first trimester (8-10 weeks), the production of HCG continues to increase, reaching a peak at the tenth week after the last menstruation

How are the test samples collected?

How are the test samples collected?

Urine: Routine detection of HCG in urine, the first choice is a random urine sample in the morning
.

Blood: A blood sample collected from a vein in the elbow can also be used for HCG testing
.

The best time to measure HCG?

The best time to measure HCG?

A qualitative test of HCG in urine or blood can be performed 10 days after a woman's menopause to confirm whether she is pregnant (some methods can detect HCG after one week of conception)
.

Blood: A quantitative test of HCG in the blood of patients within a few days is often used to rule out ectopic pregnancy or to monitor after miscarriage
.

When trophoblastic disease is suspected or germ cell tumors are suspected, the doctor will also ask the patient to do a quantitative test for HCG

What does the test result mean?

What does the test result mean?

Urine: Under normal circumstances, HCG in the urine of non-pregnant women cannot be detected
.

Blood: In the first trimester, the HCG level in the blood doubles every two to three days.
Women with ectopic pregnancy tend to double their HCG for a longer period of time
.

The HCG level of women with miscarriage usually shows that the period of exponential growth is prolonged or the concentration of HCG is reduced, and the HCG level will drop rapidly after the miscarriage

HCG is also used to monitor the treatment process of patients with trophoblastic disease and to detect the recurrence of the disease after the treatment is completed
.

During treatment, a decrease in HCG levels usually indicates that the tumor is responding to treatment, while an increase in HCG indicates that the tumor is not responding to treatment

Outcome factors

Outcome factors

HCG testing is carried out in the early stages of pregnancy.
At this time, HCG has not reached a significant level, which is prone to false negative results, and blood or protein in the urine can lead to false positive results
.

For diluted urine specimens, the urine HCG test will give false negative results

Medications such as diuretics and promethazine (antihistamine) can also cause false-negative urine HCG results
.

Anticonvulsants, anti-tremor paralysis drugs, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers can cause false positive results

In addition, there are reports that several complexes (non-drugs) interfere with each other, leading to false positive serum HCG
.
These substances include specific antibodies that are present in some individuals and HCG molecular fragments
.
Under normal circumstances, if the result is disputed, different methods will be used to confirm it
.

Compared with laboratory testing, is it okay to test HCG at home?

Compared with laboratory testing, is it okay to test HCG at home?

The home HCG test is very similar to the urine HCG qualitative test in the laboratory, but some important environmental factors should be paid attention to
.

Sometimes the home HCG test is detected immediately after the menstrual period is delayed so that no positive result can be obtained-HCG in the urine can only be detected 10 days after conception
.
This is why the test at home is negative, while the doctor's test is positive-the doctor's test is often performed after the HCG level can be detected
.

If possible, the urine HCG qualitative test should use the first urine sample in the morning
.
After eating liquids (tea, coffee, juice, water, etc.
), the urine is diluted, and the concentration of HCG in the urine will also decrease
.

In general, as long as it is used correctly, the results of the home HCG test and the doctor's test are the same
.

Why is it required to check blood HCG instead of urine HCG?

Why is it required to check blood HCG instead of urine HCG?

The blood HCG test actually detects the amount of HCG in the blood, while the urine HCG test is used to detect the presence of HCG
.
In non-pregnant women, urine HCG cannot be detected under normal circumstances.
Therefore, a urine HCG test is sufficient to confirm pregnancy
.
When ectopic pregnancy is suspected, the monitoring of women after miscarriage, and the monitoring of the treatment of tumor patients or detection of recurrence, the amount of HCG present is very important
.
At this time, doctors often need to test the patient's blood HCG
.

Compared with the urine HCG test, the quantitative detection of blood HCG is more sensitive.
Sometimes the urine HCG is negative, and the blood HCG can indicate pregnancy
.
The quantitative detection of HCG requires blood samples and needs to be tested in a laboratory
.

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