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HCG

Alternative Names:beta HCG
Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin
Pregnancy Test
Chorionic Gonadotrophin
Laboratory:Clinical Biochemistry
Test Code:HCG
Specimen Types:Serum
Plasma
Container Types:
SST
Lithium Heparin (with Gel)
Transport Instructions between Sites and/or Laboratories:Room Temperature
Additional Notes:

Reference Ranges for Pregnancy Testing:
  < 1 U/L        Not consistent with pregnancy
  1—25 U/L  Equivocal — retest in 24 hours
  > 25 U/L     Consistent with pregnancy

(Higher levels up to 14 U/L have been reported in non-pregnant women > 40 yrs; see Clin Biochem. 2017 Mar;50(4-5):234-237).

Method used is Abbott Alinity (CMIA).

Abbott does not recommend use of the Alinity Total β-hCG assay as a tumour marker. Further information on the performance of different assays for this indication in (Ferraro S, Trevisiol C, Gion M, Panteghini M. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Assays for Testicular Tumors: Closing the Gap Between Clinical and Laboratory Practice. Clin Chem. 2017 Oct 11. pii: clinchem.2017.275263. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2017.275263. [Epub ahead of print] Review.)