Should I Fast Before a hCG Test?

Update Date: 2024-07-09 Source: Network

HCG examination does not require fasting, and venous blood is mainly taken. Whether or not to eat has no effect on the examination results. HCG examination is mainly used to confirm whether pregnancy is present. If pregnancy is confirmed, there may be a low HCG level. A low HCG level may be related to abnormal embryonic development or ectopic pregnancy, and further examination is needed to confirm the diagnosis and then targeted treatment can be performed. HCG examination does not require fasting blood. The hCG examination involves drawing venous blood, and because the hCG content is not affected by eating, fasting or holding urine is not required. It is recommended to choose to have the examination in the morning. Currently, there are three commonly used measurement methods in clinical practice: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) screening method, sandwich enzyme immunoassay method, and immunogold colloidal method. These methods have good sensitivity, low cost, and fast detection speed, and are widely used in clinical practice. There are three possible reasons for low hCG levels indicated by Hcg examination results:

1. During early pregnancy, if the blood hCG level is low, it may be due to a miscalculation of the last menstrual period. In this case, another examination should be performed after a day, and if the increase is not doubled, a B-ultrasound should be performed at 45 days to determine whether it is an intrauterine pregnancy.

2. If it is an intrauterine pregnancy, it may be caused by delayed embryonic development. If there is no accompanying bleeding or other conditions, it is necessary to go to the hospital for fetal protection treatment in time. If there is no problem with the embryo's development itself, hCG will double after effective treatment.

3. In ectopic pregnancy, blood hCG will be lower than the normal pregnancy value during the same period. Therefore, when B-ultrasound examination determines that it is an ectopic pregnancy, immediate hospitalization is required for treatment.