What the Beta hCG Test (Pregnancy Blood Test) measures
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone made by the placenta soon after a fertilised egg implants in the womb. This blood test measures the level of hCG in the blood, which is why it is often called a beta hCG or pregnancy blood test. A blood test can usually pick up pregnancy around the time of a missed period, and sometimes a few days earlier, and it gives a number rather than only a yes or no. In a healthy early pregnancy, hCG usually rises quickly, often roughly doubling every two to three days in the first weeks. For that reason doctors sometimes ask for two tests a couple of days apart and compare the values, for example after IVF, after an earlier miscarriage, or when there is pain or bleeding and an ectopic pregnancy needs to be ruled out. A single value cannot show how far along a pregnancy is or whether it is progressing normally; that needs a repeat value and an ultrasound at the right time. hCG is also used to follow up after a miscarriage until it returns to normal. If you have severe abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, fainting or shoulder-tip pain, seek medical care urgently instead of waiting for a test result.
Price: the Beta hCG Test (Pregnancy Blood Test) costs ₹520 at Pure Bliss (MRP ₹650), with the sample collected at our Action Area 2, New Town centre or at your home.
Who this test is for
- Confirming a suspected pregnancy, including after a positive or unclear home test
- Early pregnancy after IVF or other fertility treatment, as advised
- Pain or bleeding in early pregnancy, when the doctor wants serial values
- Follow-up after a miscarriage, as advised by the doctor
How to prepare, the sample, and when to expect the report
Preparation
No fasting or special preparation is needed, and the sample can be given at any time of day. If you are having repeat tests, it helps to give them at a similar time of day and with the same laboratory. Tell us the date of your last period and any fertility treatment, including hCG injections, as these affect how the result is read.
Sample
Blood, from a vein in the arm (serum).
Reporting time
Within 24 hours.
Reading the result
As commonly used guidance, an hCG below about 5 mIU/mL is read as negative for pregnancy and above about 25 mIU/mL as positive, with values in between usually repeated after two to three days; the cut-offs used by each laboratory can differ. Your own report’s range and your doctor’s reading take priority over these general figures. Reference ranges differ between laboratories, so your report lists the laboratory’s own range beside each value. A result outside the range does not always mean illness; ask your doctor to explain it.
- Centre or home collection
- NABL-accredited Redcliffe Labs collection centre
- How collection works →
The Beta hCG Test (Pregnancy Blood Test) can be booked at the clinic in Action Area 2 or with a home collection from 7:30 AM. Patients come to us from Action Area 1, Action Area 3, Rajarhat, Chinar Park, Salt Lake Sector V, Sukhobrishti and Eco Park.