Blood Drug Testing

What is B-hCG?

I just got my chemistry blood test back from the hospital and it said I had a weak positive for B-hCG. I have looked through the internet trying to figure out what B-hCG is. I know hCG is a pregnancy hormone. Is B-hCG a pregnancy hormone too? Could I be pregnant?

Public Comments

1. I'm surprised you weren't able to find anything on the 'net... I did a quick search and came up with the following: B-hCG can be an indicator of pregnancy, but it can also indicate other things... "Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (beta subunit) is used as a tumour marker for gestational trophoblastic diseases (hydatidiform moles and choriocarcinoma) and germ cell tumours of ovary or testis. As with AFP, pre-treatment ß-HCG levels are very helpful. The major clinical application is monitoring treatment response in patients with testicular tumours. It is generally recommended that follow-up samples for AFP/ß-HCG patients should be done monthly for two years post-treatment. b-HCG may also be elevated in cancers of the breast, lung, pancreas, stomach, kidney, and brain. Non-malignant elevations may be seen in bowel disease, duodenal ulcers, cirrhosis, and pregnancy. ß-HCG is a CMIA (chemiluminescent immuno-assay) on the Abbott ARCHITECT® analyzer. Samples may be serum (preferred) or plasma (heparin only). This assay measures total B-HCG and has no detectable cross-reactivity with LH, FSH, or TSH at levels of 1000 u/L of each hormone. Reference Range = <5 IU/L Interferences: HAMA, pregnancy"