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Maternal (Expert Forum)
HCG LEVELS
Patient medical question and answer from The Maternal and Child Health Forum. Health topic area and articles about newborn care
HCG LEVELS
by Susan-, Apr 03, 1998 12:00AM
Are there any indicators of twins or triplets based on hcg levels in early pregneancy? I did ivf and at two weeks had hcg levels of 1368 and two days later of 3509. Is this an indicator at all?
Doctor's Answer
by hfhs.md.db, Apr 03, 1998 12:00AM
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Dear Kay
hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone produced by placental tissue and therefore is an excellent marker to diagnose pregnancy. While it is true that the quantitative level of hCG is roughly correlated to placental mass (that is, the more placental tissue--the more hCG produced), the amount of hCG produced can vary tremendously among pregnancies, even when measured at the same time in gestation. This makes sense, since placental size can vary tremendously among pregancies (single or multiple).
Taking all of this together, the amount of hCG in a given pregnancy is not necessarily a very good way to diagnose a multiple gestation. At the proper time, your caregiver will likely perform an ultrasound examination, which will much more definitively answer the question of multiple gestation. Good Luck!
