Beta human chorionic gonadotrophin is a subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin or hCG. This is used as a measure of pregnancy and is one of the early markers of the presence of a fetus in a woman before all other hormones and changes take place. hCG is a hormone that is a glycoprotein. It is created by an embryo immediately after conception. The presence of this hormone prevents the destruction of a portion of the ovary called the corpus luteum. As long as the corpus luteum is intact, progesterone secretion will occur, and as long as progesterone is secreted the menstrual cycle will not occur – maintaining pregnancy. During a period, the entire endometrium and corpus luteum are discarded in an inflammatory process. The corpus luteum itself ends up become a scar tissue at the back of the ovary.
A test of beta hCG is done to confirm pregnancy. This is the pregnancy stick test that thousands of women can purchase from a pharmacy. hCG is not tested for and rather this subunit is tested because luteinizing hormone or LH and follicle stimulating hormone or FSH tend to give false positives. In fact, hCG testing is performed on women who are undergoing infertility treatments. The presence of hCG is a sign then that the female is ovulating and it is time to collect eggs for fertilization. It is worth noting that the test is also conducted in men in sports as elevated levels indicate doping. This is because hCG in men stimulates the production of testosterone, which helps athletes perform better on the field and in man sports.
The beta hCG test is done by simply taking a few drops of urine and dropping them onto a plate with the hCG test material. Depending on the type of equipment being used, a negative or a positive may be indicated by the appearance of a line or of a change in color. This should be carefully read before coming to a conclusion.
There is absolutely no preparation that needs to be done for this test when checking for pregnancy as beta hCG is excreted in the urine of a pregnant female all the time until the placenta is completely developed. It is believed that the presence of hCG in the body stops the mother’s immune system from attacking the growing tissue in the body.