hCG blood test: confirm pregnancy without a referral

A urine test shows whether the hormone is present. This test measures how much of it is in your blood. That difference is the reason to choose blood.

An exact value can usually confirm a pregnancy earlier. If a home test gave you a faint line, a number often tells you more than a second home test would.

This test can be useful in several situations:

• You think you may be pregnant and want reliable confirmation.

• A urine test was unclear or negative, but you have pregnancy symptoms.

• You want to test earlier than a urine test allows.

• You want to follow how your values develop in early pregnancy.

• You have had a miscarriage before and want your values checked.

This test measures one marker:

• b-hCG, in full beta human chorionic gonadotropin: the hormone the placenta produces after implantation.

After implantation the hormone rises quickly. In the first weeks the value roughly doubles every two to three days. Later in pregnancy that rise gradually levels off.

Pharmacies sell self-tests that read the hormone from urine or a drop of blood. Those give you a yes or a no. This test goes to a laboratory and returns a number.

You do not draw the sample yourself, and here you cannot. A staff member draws your blood at a certified location. The laboratory then determines the value with equipment a home test does not have.

A self-test is faster and cheaper, and fine as a first step. If you want to know how high the value is, for example to follow its course, blood is the route to take.

The result gives the amount of hCG hormone in your blood. In a healthy pregnancy that value rises quickly in the first weeks.

What a single hCG value means depends on how far along you are. To see which values are usual per week of pregnancy, use our hCG calculator. More on the hormone itself is on the page about b-hCG.

A small amount of blood is drawn at a certified location near you. The draw itself takes a few minutes.

You book your appointment at a time that suits you. You do not need to fast, so you can carry on with your day afterwards.

hCG is detectable in blood from 8 to 10 days after conception. That is early enough to establish a pregnancy before a urine test can. If you test very early, repeating after a few days is often wise, because the trend tells you more than a single result.

That makes the test useful in these cases:

• You are a few days late and want clarity quickly.

• A urine test gave an unclear result.

• You want to test before the hormone is measurable in urine.

• Your GP or midwife advised you to have the value checked.

• You have had an ectopic pregnancy before.

Your result shows the measured value. What fits depends on the number of weeks and varies a great deal between people.

In the first weeks the value usually doubles every 48 to 72 hours. High results sometimes occur with a multiple pregnancy. If the result is very high, dilution of hCG in the laboratory is needed to determine it accurately.

Values lower than expected can have several causes. A BIG-registered doctor assesses your result before you receive it.

The laboratory determination itself takes about 24 hours. Because a doctor then reviews your result, your report is usually available online within a few days.

If the result is positive, contact your GP or midwife. They will discuss the next steps with you, such as a first ultrasound.

The information on this page is general information and does not replace professional medical advice. Always discuss your results with your GP or midwife.