As you have seen on the previous page, only when the levels in a woman go above 5 can you first presume that a fertilised cell has been embedded into the uterus wall.  Home pregnancy tests vary in their sensitivity, some can test for the presence of 15 mUI/mL and others will change colour at 25 mUI/mL.  Check the information on the box.

In our research, we have collected the acceptable upper and lower limits for each week of pregnancy from a variety of Labs around the world (including USA, France and Argentina). The differences in the highs and lows are quite remarkable however (thankfully) they all follow the same basic pattern. (If an OBGYN consultant can explain the discrepancies, we would love to hear from you).

To make the information as clear as possible, we have produced tables and graphs of the collected information.  The clearest view is found by making an average of the various quoted limits and plotting a single upper and lower average line.  See the following page for details.

Note 1: The charts and tables that follow are based on 38 weeks from conception, not 40 weeks from last menstrual period.  Remember, the ß-hCG hormone only starts to be produced as the fertilised egg is implanted into the uterine coating.

Note 2: The chart that shows all of the data has two lines per colour.  One for the upper and one for the lower quoted limits.

Introduction

1. The Role of b-hCG

2. Important Markers

3. The Numbers

4. Charts and Tables

For a discussion on the other hormones in pregnancy, such as progesterone and estrogen (oestrogen) - click here.