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How to Test for HCG Levels at Home

This article will describe what HCG levels are, the potential benefits of getting tested, and how to know when to get tested, and compare in-home DIY kits versus an in-home medical service.

What are HCG levels?

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone made by the placenta during pregnancy. It is commonly referred to as the “pregnancy hormone” because it makes your uterine lining thicker and helps support the growing embryo. HCG also instructs your body to produce more estrogen and progesterone hormones and stop menstruating, so that’s why you don’t have periods while pregnant.

HCG levels begin to increase at conception and continue to increase until about ten weeks into your pregnancy. HCG can be detected in your blood and urine about 10 or 11 days after you conceive. The amount of HCG you have nearly doubled every three days in the first eight to 10 weeks of your pregnancy. HCG levels peak around ten weeks, near the end of your first trimester. After that, your HCG levels will go down the rest of the time you are pregnant.

Now that you understand what HCG is, it’s important to know what the normal levels are throughout a pregnancy:

  • Three weeks after your last period: 5-50 mIU/mL (milli-international units per milliliter)
  • Four weeks after your last period: 5-426 mIU/mL
  • Five weeks after your last period: 18-7,340 mIU/mL
  • 6 weeks after your last period: 1,080-56,500 mIU/mL
  • 7 to 8 weeks after your last period: 7,650-229,000 mIU/mL
  • 9 to 12 weeks after your last period: 25,700-288,000 mIU/mL
  • 13 to 16 weeks after your last period: 13,300-254,000 mIU/mL
  • 17 to 24 weeks after your last period: 4,060-165,400 mIU/mL
  • 25 to 40 weeks after your last period: 3,640-117,000 mIU/mL

However, keep in mind that these are just estimates. The number itself doesn’t matter as much as how much the number changes. Even if you have lower-than-average HCG levels, you can still have a healthy pregnancy.

What are the potential benefits of getting tested?

If you think you might be pregnant, measuring HCG levels can be used as a test to confirm if you are pregnant. During pregnancy, your doctor will monitor your HCG to ensure it is at an appropriate level, check on your pregnancy’s progress, and gather other relevant information. You need a certain balance of HCG, estrogen, and progesterone to have a healthy and safe pregnancy.

How will I know when to get tested?

You can get an HCG test if you think you are pregnant. If you are pregnant, your doctor will know when your HCG levels need to be tested, but you can ask them to check if you’re worried your levels might be low.

In-home DIY kits vs. in-home medical service

You can test your HCG levels through a DIY home test or by booking an appointment with a medical service such as Concierge MD. Getting your HCG test done by a medical service is more reliable and convenient than doing a DIY test.

At Concierge MD, we have a team of medical staff who do in-home services. We can send a medical staff member to your home to do the HCG test for you. They will send the sample to our lab, and when the results are ready, we will contact you to discuss the results and any treatment that may be necessary.

Get your at Home Lab Test with Concierge MD

If you need a lab test but want to avoid traveling to the doctor’s office, consider Concierge MD as an option. We are a licensed mobile healthcare provider with a wide range of services, including lab testing. You can make an appointment online or over the phone for one of our healthcare specialists to visit you in your home and collect samples for one of our many accessible lab tests:

  • Wellness Panel
  • Male Hormone
  • Female Hormone
  • STD Panel
  • Thyroid Panel
  • Anemia Panel
  • Food Sensitivity
  • Genetic Cancer Screening
  • Micronutrient
  • Gut Microbiome
  • Inflammation Panel
  • Heavy Metal Panel
  • Sleep and Stress Panel
  • Urinary Health Panel
  • Vaginal Health Panel
  • and more… 

Our staff will assure the safe delivery of samples to our lab. When your results are ready, we can assist you in interpreting them and help you move forward toward a better self. Concierge MD is a private and professional healthcare service that focuses on you. Contact us immediately to order your lab testing!



Experience Care with ConciergeMD

ConciergeMD offers coverage throughout the United States.