hCG blood test, no referral: your value measured exactly

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.

Blood usually confirms a pregnancy earlier than urine. Fluids you drink dilute urine but not your blood, so the value stays reliable. Did a home test give you a faint line? A number then tells you more than a second home test.

This hCG test on blood 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 or an ectopic pregnancy before and want your values checked.

This is not the standard blood screen your midwife orders early in pregnancy. That screen looks at your blood group, rhesus factor and infections, not at hCG.

This test measures one marker:

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

The result is given in IU/L, international units per litre. If you see mIU/mL somewhere, that is the same number. After implantation the value rises quickly. Later in pregnancy that rise gradually levels off.

Pharmacies sell self-tests that read the hormone from urine or a drop of blood. As a first step such a test is fine. Want to know how high the value is, for example to follow its course? Then the laboratory is the route to take.

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.

The result gives the amount of hCG 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.

1. You order the test online, without a referral from your GP.

2. After your order we arrange your referral through ZorgDomein, usually within one business day. You receive an email with a barcode.

3. With that barcode you go to a certified draw location near you. Without a BSN there is no barcode: you then print your referral form through the link in the email and bring it to the draw location. You choose the moment; locations without walk-in hours take an appointment.

4. The draw itself takes a few minutes. You do not need to fast, so you can carry on with your day afterwards.

5. The laboratory determination takes about 24 hours. Your result is usually in your account within 2 working days of the blood draw; a doctor reviews it and the report follows after that.

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, the value may still be low. A repeat after a few days then tells you more than a single result.

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 doubles every 48 to 72 hours on average. That is an average, not a rule: a slower rise can also belong to a healthy pregnancy. In a healthy pregnancy the value usually rises by at least half in two days. One measurement therefore says little, the course over two days says more.

High results sometimes occur with a multiple pregnancy. Is the result very high? Then dilution of hCG in the laboratory is needed to determine it accurately. A BIG-registered doctor assesses your result before you receive it.

No special preparation is needed and you do not have to fast. The sample can be taken at any time of day.

Do you use medication containing hCG, for example during fertility treatment? Mention it, because it can affect your result. A recent miscarriage can also keep the value raised for a while.

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

Is the value lower than expected or unclear? Then a repeat test after 48 to 72 hours is often the next step. The doctor who reviews your result says so in your report.

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