Fertility Challenges Treatment The Pregnancy Hormone hCG Normal Levels and How It's Used During Fertility Treatment By Rachel Gurevich, RN facebook twitter linkedin Rachel Gurevich, RN, is a registered nurse, fertility advocate, author, and recipient of The Hope Award for Achievement, from Resolve: The National Infertility Association. Learn about our editorial process Rachel Gurevich, RN Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Meredith Shur, MD on April 20, 2020 Meredith Shur, MD, FACOG, is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as a certified medical examiner. Learn about our Review Board Meredith Shur, MD on April 20, 2020 Print Tony Garcia / Getty Images hCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin. hCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy. Pregnancy testing involves the detection of hCG. It may also be used as a fertility drug to help follicles mature and to trigger ovulation. hCG Levels in Pregnancy Beta hCG, also known as quantitative serum beta-HCG, refers to the testing of the amount of hCG hormone present in the blood. hCG is measured in milli-international units per milliliter. This is abbreviated as mIU/ml. Your doctor may order a beta hCG if a urine test came back positive, or, if you're in the middle of fertility treatments, just before or when your period is due. Repeat blood tests for hCG may be performed every two to three days to evaluate how quickly levels are rising. Slow-to-rise hCG levels may indicate a high risk for miscarriage. The levels should double every 48 to 72 hours. Whether you have high or low levels is not the best indicator of a healthy pregnancy. The more important thing to watch for is whether they are doubling as expected. The following are the general ranges of hCG levels during pregnancy, with the number of weeks listed referring to your last menstrual period. They are just a guideline, every pregnancy is different. Ask your doctor if you're concerned about your hCG levels. General Ranges of hCG Levels A level less than 5.0 mIU/ml is considered to be a negative pregnancy test.3 Weeks: 5 to 50 mIU/ml4 Weeks: 5 to 426 mIU/ml5 Weeks: 18 to 7,340 mIU/ml6 Weeks: 1,080 to 56,500 mIU/ml7 to 8 Weeks: 7,650 to 229,000 mIU/ml9 to 12 Weeks: 25,700 to 288,000 mIU/ml13 to 16 Weeks: 13,300 to 254,000 mIU/ml17 to 24 Weeks: 4,060 to 165,400 mIU/ml25 to 40 Weeks: 3,640 to 117,000 mIU/ml Wondering why the normal hCG range goes down mid-pregnancy? hCG levels peak around 8 to 11 weeks. and then decrease and level off for the rest of the pregnancy. hCG as Fertility Treatment hCG may also be used during fertility treatment. Pregnancy hormone acts similarly in the body to the hormone LH. LH is the hormone that peaks just before ovulation and is key to triggering the last stage of follicle development. A single injection of hCG—sometimes referred to as a trigger shot—may be given in the middle of a fertility treatment cycle. In a cycle with Clomid, gonadotropins, or IUI, the trigger shot may be given to boost ovulation and trigger the release of the egg. In an IVF treatment cycle, the trigger shot is given to push the follicles into the final stages of maturity. Then, your doctor will schedule an egg retrieval to removed the mature eggs from the follicles. What to Expect Along the Path to Conceiving With IVF Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Fukuda J, Abe T, Okuno T, Kobayashi T, Kato K. Administering human chorionic gonadotropin injections for triggering follicle maturation could impact fertility during the subsequent menstrual cycle. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2016;132(3):309-13. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2015.08.001