how high do the hcg levels have to be to pick up a positive?

Answer 1

It depends on the test. Anything over 5 mIU/mL is considered pregnant. Early tests are around 25 mIU/mL, but most go all the way up to 50 mIU/mL.

Answer 2

Q: Are urine tests at the doctor's office any more sensitive than home tests?

A: They are usually equivalent to the first tier of the home pregnancy tests list above -- reading an hCG level of 15-25 mIU as positive. In fact, they are often the same tests listed in the chart, only with less packaging.Common cutoffs for positive are 5, 10, and 25 units. A level under 5 is considered negative.

Answer 3

Early test require lower levels. Usually you can test a couple days before your period but it can actually take as much as 12 weeks to read as possible. If you get a negative and are in doubt see a doctor

A similar question was answered:
A home pregnancy test *cannot* determine the level of HCG. It can only detect the presence of HCG at or above the set level of the particular test. In other words, if one brand of test has a sensitivity level of 20 mIU, then it will tell you whether there is at least 20 mIU of HCG. If another test has a sensitivity level of 100 mIU, it may be negative when the first one is positive because the level of HCG in the urine hasn't reached the higher level. But in neither case can it tell you more than "yes" or "no".
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgCcgP.0Uc0PqB3n0pmR4iHty6IX?qid=20060821002411AAeO3yk&show=7#profile-info-e49485b42869e00960de3624d04942b7aa

Answer 4

The lowest sensitivity level I've seen on an hpt is 25. A blood test will detect lower amounts. A doctor usually won't give you a blood test until you've missed your period. Since the sensitivity levels can vary with hpt's, it is recommended you wait until you've missed your period to test. Testing too early will show a false negative result.

My cycles are 28 days. I was given hcg injections to help me conceive, so I had to wait until day 32 of my cycle to get a blood test so my doctor could see the amount of hcg in my blood. For both of my pregnancies, I took an hpt the morning of my blood test, just to see the result and got very faint positive lines. My blood tests, taken within a few hours of the hpt's, had shown hcg levels of over 200. Therefore, even if a test says the sensitivity level is as low as 25, I would still wait until you miss your period to test.

Answer 5

It depends on the test but blood tests can detect as little as 5.. but other tests can pick up as little as 25..i got a big positive 4 days before my period was due with the early result answer test...

Answer 6

some early tests can pick them up as little as 25 but i would suggest waiting till u miss a period as the levels are a lot higher and u would get a more accurate result