What is hCG?

Pregnancy tests are designed to either turn colors or show a plus if hCG is present in the urine.  It takes a couple weeks after conception for enough to appear, which is why most tests must be taken around the date a woman’s period is due.  Testing the levels of hCG can also gives doctors an idea about the viability of the embryo – if the levels are too low, that can be an indicator of a possible miscarriage (or even a false positive pregnancy, where there is no embryo, even though the body thinks there is).

Later on in pregnancy, testing hCG levels is done to determine if any syndromes are present.  High levels can indicate a possible problem with genetic inconsistencies (like Down’s syndrome).  Looking to the hCG levels alone is not a good policy, however – there are other indicators which must also be present (such as looking at ultra-sounds and testing amniotic fluid).  Understanding hCG is helpful, but it is not the final test of a healthy pregnancy.