Beta-HCG can be detected in urine or blood, starting about a week after fertilization (which occurs, however, within 24 hours of ovulation).
The urinalysis provides a qualitative response (ie it highlights whether you are pregnant or not), while the blood test also allows a quantitative evaluation, since it accurately indicates the concentration of the hormone present at the time of the pregnancy test. .
When used correctly, home pregnancy tests are considered to be up to 99% reliable and can provide a first indication to confirm or rule out conception. The method is simple and allows you to personally manage the execution of the test, reducing the anxiety and apprehension related to the uncertainty of the response.
When home pregnancy tests are positive, it is necessary to confirm the result with a blood sample for a 100% safe diagnosis and to make an appointment with the gynecologist.
This hormone is only detectable if the woman is pregnant, as it is produced by the trophoblast, that is, by those pre-embryonic cells that will then give rise to the placenta. For this reason, beta-HCG is also called the pregnancy hormone.
The synthesis of human chorionic gonadotropin begins at the moment in which the "nesting" of the fertilized egg occurs in the uterus, that is to say about a week after conception (for this reason, it takes a few days for it to be measurable). -HCG is to provide for the maintenance of pregnancy, favoring a hormonal and tissue environment suitable for the development of the embryo.
Once the production of this hormone begins, its concentration doubles every two days. Beta-HCG peaks 60-70 days after fertilization, then decreases to remain at a minimal level for the remainder of gestation. This means that its detection could be performed even before the woman can verify a delay in menstruation.
As soon as it is secreted, the hormone enters the bloodstream and is eliminated in the urine. For this reason, the confirmation of pregnancy can come from both the analysis of a blood sample and from that of the urine carried out at home.
Deepening: Menstrual Cycle, Ovulation and Conception
