Home kit
hCG Blood Test
A quantitative blood hCG, which gives a number rather than the yes or no a urine test gives.
- Doctor-reviewed results
- Laboratory analysis
- 1 to 2 working days from lab receipt
- No fasting required
What’s included
1 marker measured
hCG (quantitative)
Measures the level of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) as a number. Two tests 48 hours apart show how the level is changing; in an ectopic pregnancy it is often lower and climbs more slowly than in a healthy pregnancy.
Overview
A blood hCG gives a number rather than the yes or no a urine test gives, turns positive a few days earlier, and can be repeated after 48 hours to see whether the level is rising as expected. People choose it for confirmation after IVF or fertility treatment, or when a urine test has been unclear.
hCG is the pregnancy hormone, and a blood test measures how much of it there is rather than simply whether it is present. It turns positive a few days earlier than a urine test, and because it gives a figure it can be repeated after 48 hours to see whether the level is rising as expected. Interpreting the change is a clinical job. Pain or bleeding in early pregnancy needs an early pregnancy unit, your GP or NHS 111 the same day, not a repeat blood test, and sudden severe pain or feeling faint needs 999.
Who this is for and who it isn’t
Who it’s for
- Women aged 18 and over
- Anyone who wants confirmation earlier than a urine test can give
- People following fertility treatment who want a numerical result
Who it isn’t for
- This tells you the level, not whether a pregnancy is in the right place or developing normally: only a scan can do that. Interpreting a rise or fall is a clinical job, and a single number without context can worry people needlessly. Pain in the lower abdomen or shoulder tip, or bleeding in early pregnancy, needs an early pregnancy unit, your GP or NHS 111 the same day, not a repeat blood test.
- If the pain is sudden and severe, or you feel very dizzy or faint, call 999 or go to A&E. hCG is also occasionally measured as a tumour marker, which is a different test.
- Anyone with a new, severe or worsening symptom: contact your GP or call NHS 111. A test you buy today is not a substitute for being examined.
Common reasons people choose this test
- Wanting confirmation earlier than a urine test can give
- A urine test that was faint or hard to read
- Following fertility treatment and wanting a numerical result
- Repeating after 48 hours to see the trend, on clinical advice
- Irregular cycles making a missed period hard to judge
These are reasons people choose to test, not signs that something is wrong. A result is one part of a picture your doctor puts together with your history and an examination.
What your result looks like
Every result is shown with the unit and the reference range exactly as the laboratory reported it, with the doctor’s note underneath.
- hCG (quantitative)▲ High
- Result
- 1,850 IU/L
- Range
- <5 (not pregnant)
| Marker | Result | Units | Range | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hCG (quantitative) | 1,850 | IU/L | <5 (not pregnant) | ▲ High |
Doctor’s note (example)
hCG is clearly raised, which is consistent with pregnancy. A single figure says little on its own, because the normal spread at any given week is very wide; what a clinician looks at is the change over 48 hours, alongside a scan.
Values above are examples. Your report shows your own results with the laboratory’s units and reference range for your age and sex, reviewed, signed and released by a GMC-registered doctor.
How it works
- Your kit arrivesPosted to your door, with instructions and what you need to send your sample back.
- You take your sampleFinger-prick sample at home, or a clinic blood draw, your choice
- The laboratory analyses itYour sample is processed for the measurements included in this test. Lab processing typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receipt of your sample.
- A doctor reviews and releases itA GMC-registered doctor reads every result and signs the report before it reaches you.
- Sample
- Home finger-prick kit
- Preparation
- No fasting required
- Who it's for
- Women · ages 18+
How to prepare
What we can and can’t tell you
The reference range beside each result is the laboratory’s own. A result in range is not a clean bill of health and a result outside it is not a diagnosis. Most ranges cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one range. No test result replaces an examination or your own doctor’s judgement, and none of these panels is a cancer screening programme.
Read the full note
The reference range printed beside each of your results is the laboratory's own, and it is the range that applies to your result. We do not apply a second range of our own, and we do not tell you that a result the laboratory reported as normal is nonetheless too low or too high. If you see a claim elsewhere that your result ought to sit inside a narrower band than the one the laboratory printed, treat it with caution and ask your doctor.
Some assays cannot give an exact figure above or below a certain point, and those results are reported the way the laboratory sends them, for example as a value greater than a stated number. A result in range is not a clean bill of health, and a result outside a range is not a diagnosis: most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so some healthy people fall just outside them. No blood test replaces an examination, a scan or your own doctor's judgement, and none of these panels is a screening programme for cancer.
If you have a symptom that is new, severe, or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than waiting for a test result. In an emergency call 999.
Frequently asked questions
How early does it turn positive?
A blood hCG can turn positive a few days earlier than a home urine test. Testing very early can still give a low or negative result even in a pregnancy that is developing normally.
What does the number mean?
hCG levels vary enormously between normal pregnancies at the same stage, so a single value says little about how things are going. What clinicians look at is the change over 48 hours, and that is interpreted alongside a scan.
Do I need to fast, or test in the morning?
Neither. Unlike a urine test, a blood hCG does not depend on how concentrated your sample is, so any time of day is fine.
Is this the same as the tumour marker hCG?
It is the same hormone, used for a different purpose and read against different expectations. This product is the pregnancy measurement; the tumour marker version appears within the testicular marker panel.
Does biotin affect the result?
It can. High-dose biotin (vitamin B7), often sold for hair, skin and nails, can make some hormone results read too high or too low. Laboratory advice is usually to leave at least 8 hours after a dose of 5 mg or more, and some advise longer, so the simplest approach is to skip it on the day of your sample. Tell us if you take it, and do not stop a medicine that a doctor has prescribed.
How long do results take?
The laboratory typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receiving your sample. This does not include kit delivery, sample collection or return postage. A doctor reviews your results before they are released.
Can I choose a home kit or a clinic?
Both, it is your choice at checkout. Either collect a finger-prick sample at home with the posted kit and send it back as the instructions explain, or book a clinic appointment and have a trained clinician take the sample for you.
Is a doctor involved?
Yes. Every result is reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor who signs it off and explains what it means and what to do next.
Is it confidential?
Your results are available through your secure patient portal. Our privacy policy explains how your information is handled and when it may be shared to provide your care.
What happens to my sample and results?
Your sample is analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189). A GMC-registered doctor then reads every result and signs the report before it is released, so nothing reaches you unreviewed. There is no option to receive results without a doctor reading them first. The report arrives in your secure portal in plain English: each result with its unit and the laboratory's own reference range, and the doctor's note on what the set means read together. If a result sits outside its range the report says so and explains what usually happens next, which is most often a conversation with your own GP, who can act on it alongside your history and examination. Most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one of them. On a report with many results it is common for one to sit just outside its range, and a single number on its own rarely tells the whole story. If a result needs urgent attention, the reviewing doctor is alerted straight away and we contact you by phone the same working day rather than leaving it in the portal for you to find. If a specific result needs rechecking, the reviewing doctor says so in your report.
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