What the hell? Hcg blood test advice needed

[worriedbabe]

I've just read online from women who had such low levels of hcg in their blood that it wasn't detected till 9 weeks and get this one woman nearly 5 months and starting to show! I thought these tests were sure as eggs are eggs...seriously what the hell? I'm supposed to be having a smear test on friday - what do i do? Call it off because blood tests can be wrong?

[worriedbabe]

Thanks, that makes me feel a whole lot better:) i read this one who had a normal pregnancy and didn't show as pregnant till 5 months. Never heard anything so ridiculous in my life! I'm going with your version of events, never had a blood hcg be wrong before and 18 days after sex should leave no shadow of a doubt.

[Clysta]

There is no such thing as low hCG levels. In a viable pregnancy hCG will double every 48 hours or so.

What many women don't realize is that there are two different blood tests. One looks for the hormone only and gives a yes/no answer. This test is similar to a blood test and CAN be wrong. The other looks for and reads the exact amount of hCG in the blood and can't be wrong unless the lab makes a mistake or it's done too early. If your hCG is 5 or less, you're not pregnant.

There are millions of stories on the Internet, and most shouldn't be believed. It is extremely rare for all tests to show negative when she really is pregnant.

A pap test can still be done if you are pregnant, so you don't have to cancel it. Most women have one done at their first prenatal appointment anyways.