How do blood pregnancy tests work, and what does less than 2 mean?

Описание: A lot of women have questions about pregnancy tests. There are blood pregnancy tests, there are urine pregnancy tests, and what they're both detecting is a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG. And a blood test is much more sensitive and can actually detect pregnancy sooner than a home pregnancy test, or a urine test. Blood tests can actually detect pregnancy 1 week after conception and a whole week before a home pregnancy test can. So if your doctor ever orders a blood test, then whatever the result is is very reliable.

There are 2 different types. One is qualitative and one is quantitative. Qualitative is just checking for the presence of HCG, so it will give you a positive or a negative result. And again, if it's positive, you're definitely pregnant. If it's negative, then it's safe to say you're not. But a quantitative result gives you an actual number. It measures the amount of HCG in a woman's blood, and that, in and of itself, can't tell the doctor anything about how far along you are, because levels can vary so greatly from woman to woman at the same gestational age. But what it can do is show trends, because if the doctor has you get your blood checked on a Monday and then they have you come back and get it checked again on a Wednesday or a Thursday, what they're looking for is a trend or a rise in HCG, and as long as levels are rising appropriately, then the pregnancy is progressing as it should. So this is often used for women who have come in with bleeding, or cramping, or a suspicion of miscarriage. The doctor will order this test to see what is happening with HCG levels.

So it sounds like you had a qualitative HCG test done, and you had a result that was less than 2. And I do recommend calling your doctor and asking them to interpret those results for you. And based on their knowledge of your circumstances, they'll be able to give you the best advice. If you have any other questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at   / intermountainmoms  , and recommend us to your friends and family too.