Visit any message board for infertility patients and you are sure to find questions and laments about hcg levels. The posted inquiries run the gamut from “is my beta too low,” to “do you think my number is high enough to indicate twins?” After my initial beta I was one of the many searching out information on hcg and whether or not my number was good or bad. I was referred to a great website – http://www.betabase.info/ – that compiles hcg levels from lots of women, 33,685 last time I checked. Looking at other people’s beta levels and doubling times really can help ease some of the worry that goes along with just not knowing what it all means. On that site they only put betas in the chart once a heartbeat has been detected so it can be reassuring to read that there was a successful pregnancy that began with a beta level of 3 at fifteen days past ovulation or that some of the successful pregnancies had slower than average doubling times.
While it can be interesting to see what other people’s beta levels are it is important to remember that the number in and of itself is not the most telling or reliable. HCG is the hormone made by pregnancy that is detected to indicate that a woman is pregnant. In general HCG levels will double every 2-3 days in early pregnancy. 85% of normal pregnancies will double every 72 hours and doubling is often more important that the actual HCG number. There is definitely a large variation in “normal” HCG numbers, and it is advisable to resist the urge to compare to others. That being said, I know from personal experience that it is really hard not to seek out information about the levels and even more difficult to just wait patiently for the ultrasound as recommended.
I will never forget the day I was waiting to hear my beta number. When the nurse finally called and told my husband (I was too nervous to answer the phone) that it was positive, that the number was 153, and that she thought it could be multiples, I was ecstatic. I then spent the better part of the next couple of days searching out information on my number, worrying about what the doubling time would be, and alternately questioning if it was too high or too low. After my second beta barely doubled in seventy two hours I could think of nothing else. I had convinced myself that it was definitely too low for multiples (and thought that the nurse was crazy for suggesting such), but that it was a good healthy number for one singleton. I was even more of a nervous wreck for my second and third beta tests because I had a relatively good number with my ectopic that did not double as anticipated and similar numbers with my miscarriage although those peaked and fell rapidly.
The craziness surrounding beta hcg levels is kind of unique to the world of infertility. People who conceive naturally often don’t even think about their hcg levels unless something goes wrong and the doctor orders the quantitative test. Those who have been through treatment spend their two-week wait counting down the days until beta day. If you are lucky enough to get a positive beta, and you are more sane than me, try counting down the days until the second beta so you can get the more important information of your doubling time or even better (and much more difficult) see if you can hold out and not freak out until your ultrasound at 5-6 weeks. The first ultrasound will tell the tale of your pregnancy much more accurately and if you can do it (unlike me, I HAD to know and compare) you will save yourself much worry and concern.
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