HCG Blood Test: What Results Mean (& Difference From Urine Test) (2025)

An hCGblood test is performed to confirm or rule out pregnancy. It detects small amounts of thehCG hormone, which is typically produced during pregnancy. A woman is considered to be pregnant when hCG levels aregreater than 5.0 mlU/ml.

AnhCG blood test can also be order by the doctor as a tumor marker, to assess the severity and effectiveness of treatment for conditions such as cancer and gestational trophoblastic disease.

HCG blood tests are mostaccurate and reliableto confirm a pregnancy when they are done after a late period. Performing an hCG blood test prior to a late period mayyield a false negative result.If you have completed the hCG blood test already, enter your result below to determine how far along you are in your pregnancy:

What is hCG?

hCG stands for human chorionic gonadotrophin, which is a hormone typically produced when a woman is pregnant. In some cases, hCG can also be produced as a result of certain diseases that cause severe hormonal changes. The beta hCG blood test is usually ordered when pregnancy is suspected, however, as pregnancy is more easily confirmed with the presence of this hormone in the blood. hCG can also be detected in urine, which is how over-the-counter pregnancy tests work.

When a hCG test result is undetectable or inconclusive and the woman has symptoms of pregnancy, the test should be repeated 3 days later.

hCG blood test results

The following table shows the average amount of hCG hormone present in each week of pregnancy:

This blood test should be completed only after your period is late. If completed before a late period, you may get a false negative results (which means that you may be pregnant, but the hCG is still too low to be detectable).

Also check out what a false positive pregnancy test is and what can cause it.

Difference between blood and urinehCG

A blood hCG test is quantitative, because itindicates the exact amount or level of hormone present in the blood. With an hCG blood test, theblood sample is analyzed in the laboratory and the amount of hormone present is measured. Depending on the amount of hormone, it is possible to estimate how far along you are in the pregnancy.

The over-the-counter urine pregnancy test is an example of a hCG urine test, which is aqualitativetest. This type of test only confirms whether the hormone is present in the urine or not, and does not give you an exact amount like the blood test. Usually your doctor will order a quantitative hCG test (theblood test) to confirm pregnancy after a positive hCG urine test.

Read more about pregnancy tests and which one is best.

How to know if you are pregnant with twins

With twin pregnancies, the hormone levels will generally be higher than the averages indicated in the table above. However, a twin pregnancy is most accurately confirmed through an ultrasound completed after 6 weeks.

A twin pregnancy may be suspected if you know approximately how far along you are in your pregnancy (based on your last menstrual period) and your beta hCG levels do not correspond with the averages listed above.

Other exam results

Presence of hCG in the blood may also indicate problems such as ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or anembryonic pregnancy (also known as a blighted ovum, which is when the embryo doesn’t develop).

These conditions are usually suspected when the hormone levels are lower than expected for the gestational age. Follow-up with your doctor is advised to assess the cause of this type of hormonal change.

What to do after you confirm pregnancy

After confirming pregnancy with the blood test, you should plan to participate in prenatal care with your family doctor and obstetrician. Your pregnancy should be monitored to ensure your health and and the health of the baby, and so that you can avoid complications such as pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes. Learn more about the common symptoms that may appear in early pregnancy.