Low hCG Levels in Early Pregnancy: What Does It Mean?

Question
ok. i got pregnant in september of 06 i was 1-2 weeks when i lost it, my hcg was only 38. on 3-29-07 i took two pregnancy tests and both them came out positive, i dont remember when my last period was, but my hcg was 15.5 do you think i still have a good chance of staying pregnant??

Answer
Dear Michelle,

An hCG of 15.5 is very low. Most pregnancy tests do not even read positive until the hCG level is at least 25 mIU/ml.

If you are any more than 3 weeks from LMP, this is an extremely low hCG level. I would suspect that your doctor will want to do another test to make sure that your hCG is rising appropriately. We expect hCG levels to double every 48-72 hours in early pregnancy. The result of this test would be much more indicative of how healthy the pregnancy is than a single level.

I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda