hCG Levels After Miscarriage

A miscarriage is a traumatic time for any woman, that gets further compounded by the changes in the body that had already undergone plenty of changes upon being pregnant. The body produces Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) hormone only during the pregnancy period. It is the presence of this hormone in blood and urine during a test that confirms the occurrence of pregnancy.

The hCG hormone plays various functions in the body during pregnancy, it prepares the body in response to changes in the hormone levels. hCG promotes corpus luteum to produce vital hormones including estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy. hCG is also responsible for stimulation of the gonad development in the fetus, and for regulation of the luteinizing hormone.

The hCG hormone is made by cells that form the placenta. As the pregnancy advances so does the level of hCG. Detectable levels of hCG start at 5 mIU/ml during the first week of pregnancy and can rise up to 288,000 mIU/ml in the 12th month. The hCG level in the woman's body doubles approximately every 2.2 days during the first trimester of pregnancy, and declines from 10% to l5% of its growth in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. However, there is no fixed rate at which the level rises, as hormone levels are unique to the individuals. There are two types of tests done to quantify the levels of hCG; qualitative hCG test to detect if hCG is present in the blood and a quantitative hCG test to determine the levels of hCG actually present in the blood. A sudden lowering in hCG levels, is seen as a signal for an impending miscarriage.

Level of hCG After a Miscarriage

A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy in the first 20 weeks (most times), or within the gestation period. Due to different factors, a miscarriage occurs and the body takes weeks to return to normal hcg levels. As most hormones react differently during a pregnancy, they need to 'settle down'. The woman's body undergoes hormonal changes, and one important change is the drop in the levels of hCG. Depending on the month the pregnancy loss occurred it is normal for the body to have high hCG levels. However, it must drop to zero before the menstrual cycle resumes. The duration taken for the drop in levels predominantly depends on the value of hCG present before the miscarriage. This is because the hCG hormone gradually releases its suppression off the pituitary gland. Within four to six weeks is a common time recorded in most women after miscarrying, for hCG levels to drop to zero.

If the levels does not drop to zero after a miscarriage, it means that the hCG-producing tissue is still present in the body. Until the hCG hormone does not subside, the menstrual cycle will not resume which will further complicate matters.