Understanding Rapidly Increasing HCG Levels in Early Pregnancy

Question
I took a pregnancy test on Dec 24th and it was negative, I took a preg test on Jan 2nd and it was positive. I took a a blood test on Jan 2nd and my HCG level was 210. I took another one the next day less then 24 hours and it was 456. I think I am about 5 weeks pregnant. Anyway the doctor who I am not familiar with scheduled me for another blood test claiming that my HCG is too low. I have been reading and it states it should double every 2-3 days. Well I am very scared and I am hoping my HCG level is fine. I kind of feel I am being lied to because my insurance is so good. I really need help with this issue cause the stress everyday is killing me...

Can you help me out with this????

Nadia

Answer
Dear Nadia,

You did not give me the 1st day of your LMP, so I can't calculate your estimated dates. If you think you are 5 weeks, that would put your LMP at approximately 12/5. The normal range for hCG levels is very wide. At 4 weeks the range is 5 - 426 mIU/ml. If 5 weeks is accurate, we would expect your hCG to be between 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml. This is why hCG levels should not be used to date a pregnancy since these numbers can vary so widely.

In early pregnancy about 85% of normal pregnancies will have the hCG level double every 48 - 72 hours. So the fact that your hCG levels doubled from the 1st test to the 2nd are very encouraging. I do not think that there is anything for you to be concerned about. More than likely this doctor is wanting to err on the side of caution. He/she wants to make sure the levels continue to double as expected. It's quite possible that you were right between your 4th/5th week on 1/2-1/3. It certainly won't hurt anything to get an additional test and you'd rather a doctor be TOO cautious than not enough. Some just don't have a very "non-scary" way of presenting their concerns. :-) Go figure...

I hope this has helped you and answered your questions. Please write again with any additional concerns or questions. I wish you well!

Brenda