Medical expert of the article
New publications
Beta-chorionic gonadotropin in blood and urine
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Reference values of beta-chorionic gonadotropin in the blood serum of adults are up to 5 IU/l; in urine during pregnancy at 6 weeks - 13,000 IU/day, 8 weeks - 30,000 IU/day, 12-14 weeks - 105,000 IU/day, 16 weeks - 46,000 IU/day, more than 16 weeks - 5,000-20,000 IU/day.
Beta-chorionic gonadotropin is a glycoprotein secreted by the syncytial layer of the trophoblast during pregnancy. It maintains the activity and existence of the corpus luteum, stimulates the development of the embryoblast. It is excreted in urine. Detection in serum or urine serves as a method for early diagnosis of pregnancy and pathology of its development. In oncology, it is used to monitor the treatment of trophoblastic and germ cell tumors.
The concentration of beta-chorionic gonadotropin in the blood and its excretion with urine increase as early as the 8th day after fertilization. In everyday practice, it is recommended to evaluate the dynamics of changes in the concentration of beta-chorionic gonadotropin. At the initial stages of physiological pregnancy, the concentration of beta-chorionic gonadotropin in the blood plasma increases 2-fold every 1.98 days; an increase in the level of chorionic gonadotropin by less than 66% over 48 hours in 85% of cases indicates an ectopic pregnancy or spontaneous abortion. An increased concentration of beta-chorionic gonadotropin in the blood in the absence of ultrasound signs of pregnancy (both in and outside the uterus) serves as an indication for diagnostic laparoscopy. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that in case of an interrupted tubal pregnancy, the concentration of beta-chorionic gonadotropin in the blood quickly returns to normal. More than 95% of women with ectopic pregnancy have a positive beta-chorionic gonadotropin test result. Only a very small proportion of women with ectopic pregnancy have a negative test result on screening, although they still have elevated beta-chorionic gonadotropin levels on quantitative analysis.
Difficulties in making a diagnosis arise in cases where objective examination data do not allow establishing the presence of pregnancy, and ultrasound examination cannot accurately determine the location of the pregnancy. In such cases, it is necessary to determine the quantitative concentration of beta-chorionic gonadotropin in the blood serum. If the level of beta-chorionic gonadotropin reaches 5000-6000 IU/ml, then an ultrasound examination of the pelvis should look for an intrauterine pregnancy. In most cases, in women with an ectopic pregnancy, the concentration of beta-chorionic gonadotropin in the blood serum does not exceed 3000 IU/ml. A high content of chorionic gonadotropin in the blood or urine most likely indicates an intrauterine pregnancy.
[