Free Beta HCG Test

The Free Beta hCG Test means that you are being tested for determining the amount of the Free Beta-hCG hormone present in the body.

hCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone that is made by the placenta in women during their pregnancy period. The placenta is an important entity that nourishes the fertilised egg throughout the pregnancy and makes sure that the foetus grows properly.

When a woman conceives, the amount of hCG hormone in her body begins increasing after about 11 days from conception. The Free Beta hCG Test should be conducted after the 11 days only so as to give an accurate test result.

Doctors make pregnant women undergo the Free Beta hCG Test as a part of their prenatal screening. The test serves more than one purpose and becomes helpful for pregnant women by detecting - Signs of a potential miscarriage, signs of Down Syndrome in the foetus, signs of an Ectopic Pregnancy (a problematic form of pregnancy where the fertilised egg attaches to outside the uterus, and this can result in a miscarriage which may cause life-threatening condition).

In India, the rate of miscarriage is higher than the rate globally. This has appeared to make Indian women more prone to miscarriages. So, taking every possible step to ensure the good health of the baby and the mother becomes of utmost importance. This involves going for a proper prenatal screening which includes the Free Beta hCG Test.

Other Names for Free Beta hCG Test

• Beta-hCG Blood Test
• Repeat the Quantitative Beta-hCG Test
• Quantitative Blood Pregnancy Test
• Quantitative hCG Blood Test
• Quantitative Serial Beta-hCG Test

What does the Free Beta hCG Test measure, and who is this prescribed for?

Following are the cases where the Free Beta hCG Test is very useful:

• Prenatal Screening In Pregnant Women

An entire range of tests is usually performed as a part of the prenatal screening during pregnancy which helps in determining the possible risks in the pregnancy. The Free Beta hCG Test is also a part of this range of tests.

On the basis of the Free Beta hCG Test results, healthcare practitioners can make out for any signs of a possible miscarriage, signs of an ectopic pregnancy, and signs of Down syndrome in the foetus.

• Before Going for a Treatment That Can Harm a Developing Baby

Many women don’t become aware of their pregnancy till the Free Beta hCG Test is done. So, to avoid any harm being caused to a foetus in case the mother is still not aware of her being pregnant, doctors prefer to perform the Free Beta hCG Test to detect pregnancy. This is because the treatment can possibly involve radiation and cause harm to the developing baby.

• To Detect Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD) or Germ Cell Tumour

Both men and women develop a high amount of hCG hormone in their bodies in case of a germ cell tumour or a Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD) like ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, etc. So, doctors use the Free Beta hCG Test to measure the amount of hCG in patients when they detect them of having any serious health concern like tumour in which the hCG count rises.

The Free Beta hCG Test can thus be prescribed to any gender and any age group.

When women become pregnant, their hCG level rises rapidly up till the 12th week of pregnancy. Here is what the average range of hCG can look like for pregnant women:

Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, you can refer to the above ranges as what is associated with a normal and healthy pregnancy. If there are deviations from this range, then your doctor can evaluate with a few more additional tests.  

For men, the following table gives the normal range of hCG levels:

If the Free Beta hCG Test results for men are greater than 2mIU/mL, then your doctor may suggest you go for further diagnostic tests.

Why is the free beta hCG level high?

The Free Beta hCG level can be high in the following cases:

• You may be pregnant.
• You might have a tumour like ovarian cancer, uterus cancer, testicular cancer, etc.
• You may have gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD).

What if free beta hCG is low?

A low level of Free Beta hCG is normal when you are not pregnant. However, during pregnancy, if you have a low level of Free Beta hCG, then it can mean any of the following:

• You have not been pregnant for long (less than 11 days).
• You have had a miscarriage.
• You can have a miscarriage because the placenta has not developed properly.

You should consult with your healthcare practitioner to determine the exact reason behind getting back a low level of hCG on your Free Beta hCG Test results.

Here is a table that you can refer to interpret your Free Beta hCG Test results for women :

It is often seen that collecting a Free Beta hCG Test blood sample gives more accurate results than a Free Beta hCG Test urine sample.

 This is the case because the urine test sample collected can be easily affected by factors like the time of testing during the day and dehydration. This can give a reading with a spiked count of hCG hormone when in reality, the hormone count might be very low.

So, most doctors preferred the Free Beta hCG Blood Test rather than the urine test.

Free Beta hCG Test Preparations:

No special preparation is required before this test like fast for Free Beta hCG Test blood sample or Free Beta hCG Test urine sample. However, drinking too much or too little water right before the urine sample is taken can lead to inaccurate test results.

In case you are taking any medicines, supplements etc., you should provide the history to your doctor because this may lead to inaccurate test results.

So, to avoid such incidents, your doctor may advise you to stop taking certain medicines before giving your test sample.

The procedure of giving your blood sample and urine sample does not usually involve any major risks.

Free Beta hCG Test Parameters

The Free Beta hCG Test is performed to detect the current levels of the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) hormone in the body. The test is useful in determining any possible pregnancy-associated issues. The following Free Beta hCG Test parameters should be kept in mind when going for the Free Beta hCG Test:

Gender: All women and men have some amount of hCG in their bodies at all times. However, a spike in the level of hCG in women happens during pregnancy in the initial months especially. For men, a spike in hCG can be related to some conditions like classic seminoma with syncytiotrophoblastic-like giant cells, combined germ cell tumour, and choriocarcinoma.

Down syndrome in foetus, Ectopic pregnancy, Testicular cancer, Diagnose a miscarriage, Detect normal pregnancy