HCG please help
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Topic: HCG please help
Posted By: poppet
Subject: HCG please help
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 10:43am
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I am new to all this, can someone please help?
I had a blood test at the Dr last week which would have been about 8 dpo and my hcg was 5 which the nurse told me was negative. I haven't been able to get it out of my head, what does a level of 5 mean if below 5 is negative and above is positive? |
Replies:
Posted By: fairy1
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 10:52am
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Less than or equal to 5 means you're not pregnant, anything above 5 would mean you're pregnant but the results should be higher than 5.
If you are confused about the results you should ask the nurse at your GP to explain it more. If they cant then you have the right to ask your GP to explain it. Blood HCG levels arent routinely done in pregnancy unless they are looking for a mc or ectopic pregnancy or there is bleeding. Why did they check your blood levels? Have you a positive urine pregnancy test? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: poppet
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:00am
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They checked my blood levels because I asked them to as I knew there was a chance I could be pregnant (we are not currenlty trying). No positive urine test but it wouldn't show if the hcg was only 5, it needs to be 25+ doesn't it?. I guess I will have to do another one tonight and see if the levels have come up.
I am not able to call the Dr from work so hoped someone might be able to help in the meantime. |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:06am
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Its classed as negative. Your only 8DPO though which is really very early to test and for bloods. I doubt my doc would even bother at 8DPO.
Your best to wait a few days and then test again, it takes 48hrs on average for hcg to double, some people rise faster and slower. I get very faint positive tests on 12DPO and you can only see those if I hold them up to the light |
Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:08am
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poppet - between 5-25 is generally considered an equivocal result (meaning you may or maynot be preg)... below 5 is neg - so you're on the border of neg and equivocal... some hpt brands show positives before 25, first response is a good one, which often gives an early result. I would say just test again to see if your levels have risen... ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: fairy1
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:10am
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If its showing in your urine then it will show on the blood test, and vice versa, if your urine is negative then the blood test will be negative. The blood test isnt actually more sensitive than a urine test ( I thought it was til I needed to get it done).
Im assuming your AF is late for you to be doing the tests, but if it isnt then you need to wait till it is late, sometimes it shows up on the same day as your AF is due but other times it takes a week. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: poppet
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:13am
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I realise it was very early but I was stressing big time and thought the blood test might show by then, as I said I am new to all this. The blood test was last wednesday so I am now 15 dpo, I will do a hpt tonight and see what that shows.
Why would the level be 5 though? If you are not pregnant what is the normal level to have in your body? |
Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:16am
Hcg is usually detectable in blood a day or two before urine. Blood tests are generally considered more reliable as they aren't subject to changes in hydration levels which effect the concentration of hcg in the urine. Also it def possible to get a positive before AF is due.. the average 1st positive is 13.6 days however, lots of people get them earlier. My one for this baby was 9dpo. ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
melissag wrote:Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:18am
normally it's less than 2... A HPT should definitely give you an accurate result now, esp if they were rising from 5 last week! Good luck for the result your after  ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: poppet
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:19am
I thought AF had arrived but it is different to normal so that is what has made me think about all of this again after thinking it was fine from being told that hcg was 5 so negative. |
Posted By: poppet
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:21am
Thank you! My husband and I want children one day, just a bit of a shock at the moment because timing isn't right but if I am pregnant then we will get our heads around it. I just really want to know one way of the other. |
Posted By: fairy1
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:24am
Dont want to confuse you, but most medical doctors (all the ones I have worked with and Ive worked with a lot) agree that a blood test isnt considered more reliable than the urine test. Thats why they dont routinely do a blood HCG level. Do the urine test again and see what it says. You can still get AF when pregnant and its different to usual then maybe. Good luck. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:45am
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Melissa - reliability and sensitivity are not the same... the blood test is more reliable but not necessarily more sensitive - it depends on how concentrated the urine is - hence why BTs may show a preg first.
------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: poppet
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 12:02pm
| If the test tonight is negative do I need to get another BT to check that it has returned to normal levels again? eg under 2? |
Posted By: fairy1
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 1:22pm
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Normal level is under 5 not under 2 (ive had results of 4 before which is why I say this, and I know of other people who have).
The best time to do the urine test is in the morning as the HCG level will be most concentrated then. So if you can wait till tomorrow morning it would be better than tonight. I dont think you need to do a blood test if the urine is negative. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 2:20pm
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Personally I would do another blood test if you are unsure and your last AF was different to usual.
My first preg I never got a positive on a urine so had a set of bloods to make sure. My second preg I got a positive at 10DPO so didn't bother with bloods. I tend to agree with Freckle in that bloods are more accurate in that urine HCG is subjective to time of day, concentration etc. -------------  
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 2:23pm
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So totally agree, I had a urine test done at 3 weeks pregnant and it came back negative but my bloods came back positive so a blood test does show before a urine. I didn't have enouhg HCG in my urine to get a positive test. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 2:36pm
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I got a +ive albeit faint HPT and my BT came as HCG 11... so by medical standards as freckle said not positive not negative.. turns out I was pregnant...
So to OP, I would get more bloods to see if the HCG has gone up... -------------   
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Posted By: poppet
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 10:45am
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I have put a call in ofr the Dr who is on again this afternoon. I did another HPT test last night and was -tve so I would like to have another blood test done to confirm if hcg has gone up or down.
My boobs are tingling again today and am still feeling sick and cramps and TMI have brown spotting again. |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 11:24am
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Poppet, the chemical that gives you the + result is HCG whish is at its strongest in the morning. You could test tomorrow morning to see what that test says while wating for the bloods to come back. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Emmecat
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 1:26pm
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Ha my faint BFPs for this pg came up when my HCG was 5...therefore neither pg or not pg lol. I waited a few days and got another BT and yep was def pg -------------   http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: poppet
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 4:51pm
| It appears the nurse may have left out the all important LESS THAN when she told me they were 5!! Gah what a rollercoaster! |
Posted By: lil_lease
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 4:57pm
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Dont you hate it when they leave out rather important words like that. ------------- Antony, gone but never forgotten 2-4-2010 
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Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 03 September 2010 at 11:32am
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poppet - man that's pretty slack - defo would have been nice if she'd mentioned that! ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 03 September 2010 at 9:21pm
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hugs hun that sucks! hope you told them what for, putting you through that stress! -------------
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