Can a blood test tell if I'm pregnant?

Current methods of detecting pregnancy are basically based on imaging principles such as transducer ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound or hormone changes in the female body. Using a pregnancy test is always the first choice of women due to its convenience as well as instant results.
However, there is still another method for more accurate fetal detection results that is a blood test. This is essentially a test to check the level of Beta-Hcg present in the mother's blood or urine.
HCG is a hormone with the full name of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, secreted from the trophoblast, and plays a role in activating the embryonic germ cells to develop. The hCG hormone is also responsible for stimulating the secretion of sex hormones, which regulate the sex of the fetus.

The hCG hormone appears soon after the egg is fertilized and implanted in the lining of the uterus and the concentration reaches the maximum when the fetus is 2.5 months old and stabilizes until delivery. Therefore, the presence of hCG hormone in the blood is the clearest evidence of pregnancy.

The determination of HCG levels can help detect whether a woman is pregnant or not even if she has not yet shown signs of a missed period. The blood test can measure very small amounts of hCG hormone within 6-8 days after conception, so it is a test that can predict pregnancy very early, right from the first weeks. The meaning of hormone levels indicating that you are indeed pregnant is as follows:
3 weeks: 5 – 50 mIU/ml 4 weeks: 5 – 426 mIU/ml 5 weeks: 18 – 7,340 mIU/ml 7 to 8 weeks : 7,650 – 229,000 mIU/ml 9 to 12 weeks: 25,700 – 288,000 mIU/ml 13 to 16 weeks: 13,300 – 254,000 mIU/ml 17 to 24 weeks: 4,060 – 165,400 mIU/ml From week 25 to delivery: 3,640 – 117,000 mIU/ml 4 to 6 weeks postpartum: Less than 5 mIU/ml Normally, the amount of hCG will double every three days and peak at 15-16 weeks of pregnancy, then gradually decrease and disappears within a few weeks of birth. Not only is it meaningful to determine the gestational age, the concentration of HCG in the blood / urine is also the basis for helping doctors monitor the fetal status throughout the pregnancy:

If the level of HCG is low, which does not correspond to the gestational age, it means that the baby has growth retardation or stillbirth or an ectopic pregnancy. If the concentration of HCG is abnormally high, it may be due to preterm gestational age, multiple pregnancy, ovum pregnancy or trophoblastic disease, etc.

Blood test is a simple and easy method to perform, the cost is not too expensive, but it also brings many benefits to pregnant women such as:
Determination of the mother's blood type. Detect anemia - iron deficiency in pregnancy. Detecting HIV, syphilis, gestational diabetes, hepatitis B,... Helps you detect pregnancy early, even if your body has no other signs. Measuring the correct level of HCG will help the doctor accurately measure the age of the fetus and predict the due date more accurately. Based on HCG levels, doctors will screen and detect early the risk of birth defects in the fetus. Helps early detection of Rubella virus (Rubella virus is very dangerous because it can cause birth defects) DNA test in mother's blood helps diagnose Down syndrome for babies

Usually, before any test, there are regulations to make the test most effective, minimizing errors when returning results. The same goes for a pregnancy test, here are some things to keep in mind when doing a pregnancy test :
A blood test to find out if you're pregnant is different from other tests in that you don't You will need to fast before the test. The best time to take a blood sample for testing is in the morning. Women are especially advised not to drink carbonated water, tea and alcohol as well as some other alcoholic beverages 12 hours before the blood test to ensure the most accurate results. Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the hospitals that not only ensures professional quality with a team of leading doctors, modern equipment and technology, but also stands out for its examination and consulting services. and comprehensive, professional medical treatment; civilized, polite, safe and sterile medical examination and treatment space. Customers when choosing to perform tests here can be completely assured of the accuracy of test results.
Customers can directly go to Vinmec Health system nationwide to visit or contact the hotline here for support.