|
|
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # |
Beta HCG, qual. Urine
Test CodeUHCG
Alias/See Also
Urine Pregnancy Test, Urine hCG Qualitative, HCG Qual, Urine Beta hCG Qualitative, hCG Qual Urine, BHCG qual urine, Pregnancy test qual urine
Preferred Specimen
10 mL urine (0.5 mL minimum)
Instructions
A first morning-voided specimen is preferred. Submit to laboratory within 2 hours.
Transport Container
Urine collection cup
Specimen Stability
Room temperature: 8 hours, Refrigerated: 48 hours, Frozen: not established
Limitations
Very dilute urine specimens, as indicated by a low specific gravity, may not contain representative levels of hCG. If pregnancy is still suspected, a first morning specimen should be collected 48 hours later and tested. Very low levels of hCG (<50 mIU/mL) are present in serum and urine shortly after implantation. However, because a significant number of first trimester pregnancies terminate for natural reasons, a test result that is weakly positive should be confirmed by retesting with a first morning specimen collected 48 hours later. A number of conditions other than pregnancy, including trophoblastic disease and certain non-trophoblastic neoplasms including testicular tumors, prostate cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer cause elevated levels of hCG. Therefore, the presence of hCG should not be used to diagnose pregnancy unless these conditions have been ruled out.
Reference Range
Negative
Clinical Significance
In normal pregnancy, hCG can be detected in both urine and serum as early as 7 to 10 days after conception. hCG levels continue to rise very rapidly, frequently exceeding 100 mIU/mL by the first missed menstrual period and peaking in the 100,000 – 200,000 mIU/ml range about 10-12 weeks into pregnancy. The appearance of hCG in urine soon after conception, and its subsequent rapid rise in concentration during early gestational growth, make it an excellent marker for early detection of pregnancy.
