Is BHCG less than 5.0 considered a Positive or a Negative Pregnancy Test Result?

Many women sent such results to the Facebook page’s inbox, like this

The medial laboratory interpret the BHCG levels like that:

  1. Beta hCG < 5.0 mIU/mL, any hCG number less than 5 means that there is no pregnancy yet or that the pregnancy is still very early and at its first beginning, and therefore the level of the pregnancy hormone appears very little to a degree less than 5.
  2. Beta sub-unit from 6 up to 24, an hCG number in this range means that pregnancy is at its beginning and that the pregnancy hormone still needs more time to increase and rise, so we have to repeat the B-hCG blood test again after at least 48 hours to make sure that the pregnancy hormone increases as time passes. Also after re-doing the quantitative hCG test, if the hormone level increases, then this is a good sign of the continuation of the pregnancy, but it cannot be considered evidence of the viability of the pregnancy. Know why. But if the pregnancy hormone level has stopped increasing to a remarkable number or becomes less than the result of the previous test, then this is a very important sign of the end of pregnancy and the loss of the fetus in the very early stage.
  3. If Quantitative hCG test result >25, <100, any hCG number equal to or greater than 25 is considered a pregnancy from the first test, but this hCG number must double every 48 hours, and that the menstrual cycle must be delayed by a day or two at the most so that the result can be interpreted as a pregnancy at an early beginning. Practically we find most hCG readings between 25 and 100 in the first days after delayed menses often go down which leads to pregnancy loss, so that your doctor may prescribe progesterone supplements to increase the hCG level in the pregnant’s blood and to help maintain a healthy pregnancy.

Conclusion:

B-hCG < 5.0 usually means negative pregnancy test, but if the date of menses is still early, the hCG lower than 5 may mean a very early pregnancy, that’s because the hCG hormone can be detected 6 days earlier before the due date, and therefore you must repeat hCG test after the menstrual cycle is late than the usual date every month, and this repetition is to make sure that HCG 5 increases and that it was due to very early pregnancy.

Also, hcg <5 can be seen if the woman is in premenopausal (before girl puberty) or postmenopausal stage (usually after age 50 of women there’s no menstruation), it means the girls before menopause may normally show b-hcg number lower than 5, and women stopped their menstruation can still naturally see hCG number lower than 10 without pregnancy or any disease.

Note that some tumors can see slowly increasing hCG levels, but this is another article, be tuned.

Dr.Megan Ralf

A Medical laboratory Scientist who devoted his life to medical and laboratory sciences, writes his everyday expertise dealing with various pathological conditions through laboratory diagnosis of different body fluids, also participating in many workshops for first aids, infection control, and urgent care. Also Dr Megan Ralf coaching many medical teams.

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