How important is hCG for your pregnancy?

Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG for short, is a hormone that supports your pregnancy. It appears soon after conception, made by the placenta, and is an early sign that you are pregnant. hCG keeps your ovaries working until the placenta takes over and helps make progesterone, which keeps your womb ready for your baby.

Without enough hCG, your pregnancy can get messed up. Here's a table of what it does:

Phase in weeks	What hCG does
Weeks 3-4	Let us know you are pregnant
Weeks 5-10	Keeps ovaries going, boosts progesterone
From week 10	Less needed when the placenta takes over

It also helps your baby grow. How much hCG you have can even affect your morning sickness – sometimes annoying, but often a good sign. That’s why it’s smart to keep an eye on your hCG levels.

How does hCG work in your body?

hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, is a key player in early pregnancy. It’s produced by the placenta shortly after your fertilized egg implants. It keeps the corpus luteum in your ovary working, producing progesterone to keep your uterus fit for your growing baby.

It does more than that – it is also something pregnancy tests pick up. Here is a table of how your hCG levels rise:

Week	hCG (mIU/mL)
3	5 – 50
4	5 – 426
5	18 – 7,340
6	1,080 – 56,500
7-8	7,650 – 229,000
9-12	25,700 – 288,000

Studies show that hCG helps your immune system so that your body does not reject your baby. It is a clever and complicated hormone that keeps your pregnancy going well.

Boosting Your hCG Levels and Avoiding Pitfalls

Want to get your hCG levels up for pregnancy? A healthy lifestyle is step one. Sleep well, eat nutritiously, and keep stress low. Choose foods with vitamin C (such as citrus fruits), folic acid (in vegetables such as broccoli), and omega-3 (from fish such as mackerel).

There are also things you better leave out. Cut out alcohol and cigarettes – they are not good for your hormones. Here is an overview:

Do this	Let this
More C, folic acid, omega-3	Drink and smoking
Take a rest	Lots of stress
To move	Bad food

With these tricks you will prepare your body and feel better. Always ask your doctor before making any major changes.

Finally

We hope you now understand what hCG is and why it plays such a big role in pregnancy. Everyone is different, so your levels may vary. Are you in doubt or do you see something strange? Call your midwife. At Verloskundigen Lelystad, in De Koploper, we help you with tips and care from start to finish. Keep taking good care of yourself – see you soon!