A high level of hCG in non-pregnant patients is a rather alarming sign. Often this indicates the presence of cancer, which require immediate treatment. This hormone is produced in large quantities only during gestation. Why does hCG increase if a woman has no pregnancy? What pathologies are there such a deviation from the norm? We will consider these issues in the article.
What it is
HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone that is produced in significant quantities only during pregnancy. It is produced by chorionic cells - the fetal membrane, from which the placenta subsequently forms. HCG production begins about a week after conception. Chorionic gonadotropin is necessary for the normal development of the fetus and successful gestation.
Normally, hCG in non-pregnant patients is practically not produced, since this hormone is formed mainly in the membranes of the fetus. Chorionic gonadotropin can be produced by pituitary cells, but its amount is extremely small.
How to determine hormone levels
To find out the level of hCG, you need to take a blood test for this hormone. For research take biomaterial from a peripheral vein on the arm. The content of chorionic gonadotropin is determined by the enzyme immunoassay. Test results are usually known the very next day.
Analysis preparation
In order for the analysis data to be reliable, the patient must observe the following preparation rules:
- Stop eating 8-10 hours before the test.
- 6 hours before the analysis is not recommended to drink water.
- For 1.5-2 hours before taking the sample, you must stop smoking.
- For two days before the study, it is necessary to refrain from taking alcoholic beverages.
It is important to remember that hormone levels may affect HCG levels in non-pregnant patients. Therefore, 2 days before the analysis, you need to stop using such drugs. If it is impossible to interrupt the course of treatment, then it is necessary to inform the doctor about all the medications taken.
Normal performance
The values of 0 to 5 mU / ml are considered the norm of hCG in non-pregnant women. If the concentration of the hormone exceeds the reference values, then this may be a sign of serious pathologies. However, false test results cannot be ruled out if the patient violated the rules of preparation for the study. If in doubt about the reliability of the analysis data, it is recommended to retake the sample.
The lower limit of the hCG norm does not exist. If the woman is not pregnant, then this hormone may be completely absent from her. A zero indicator of chorionic gonadotropin does not indicate pathology in this case. Deviation from the norm is considered only an increase in the concentration of the hormone.
However, during the period of gestation, a decrease in hCG is a rather dangerous sign. This hormone is necessary for the normal formation of the placenta and the development of the embryo.
Reasons for the increase
Why is hCG elevated in non-pregnant patients? The level of chorionic gonadotropin can be affected by hormonal medication, as well as recent abortion or miscarriage. Such reasons are non-pathological, since an increase in the level of the hormone is reversible.
However, often a high concentration of hCG indicates dangerous pathologies:
- malignant tumors;
- cystic drift;
- chorioncarcinoma.
Next, we will consider in detail the possible causes of an increase in chorionic hormone.
Taking medication
HCG levels in non-pregnant patients may be elevated due to medication. False analysis results are most often observed during a course of treatment with hormonal preparations containing chorionic gonadotropin. These include:
- Choriogonin.
- "Profazi".
- The Horagon.
- "Rotten."
- "Chorionic gonadotropin."
These drugs are most often prescribed as injections. They are used to treat menstrual disorders, infertility, and also in preparation for IVF.
For this reason, doctors recommend stopping the use of hormones a few days before the analysis. However, these drugs are often prescribed according to a special scheme, and the course of treatment should not be interrupted. In such cases, it is necessary to pass the test after the end of hormone therapy. Against the background of taking such drugs, the study in most cases gives unreliable results.
Today, some women use drugs with hCG to build muscle. This can also cause false test results. Doctors categorically prohibit the use of hormonal drugs for sports purposes. This can trigger serious endocrine disorders, and even the development of tumors.
Abortion
HCG levels in non-pregnant women may be elevated after an abortion or miscarriage. This is due to the fact that after the termination of pregnancy, the hormone produced by the fetal membrane is preserved in the patient’s blood. His indicators come back to normal far from immediately.
After an abortion, the hCG level normalizes very slowly. Artificial abortion is a great stress for the body. In the first 5-7 days, the concentration of the hormone can even increase. Then the chorionic gonadotropin indices begin to gradually decrease. The level of hCG is fully normalized only 5-6 weeks after an abortion.
There are times when the week after the termination of pregnancy, the concentration of the hormone continues to increase. This is a pretty troubling sign. It may indicate that particles of chorion remain in the uterine cavity. In this case, the patient needs to do curettage of the endometrium.
With a miscarriage in the early stages, the concentration of hCG remains elevated for a week. Then the hormone level is completely normalized. If spontaneous abortion occurred in the second or third trimester, then the recovery period takes about 1 month.
Malignant tumors
Malignant neoplasms can become the cause of high hCG rates in non-pregnant patients. This hormone is a kind of tumor marker. An increased concentration of chorionic gonadotropin is noted with germinogenic tumors. These neoplasms are localized in the ovaries or mediastinum. They are formed from primary cells, which are laid back in the prenatal period.
HCG in non-pregnant patients can also increase with malignant tumors in the following organs:
- rectum and colon;
- kidneys;
- lungs;
- the uterus.
An increase in the concentration of chorionic gonadotropin is not always a sign of dangerous neoplasms. However, the patient should be tested for tumor markers and undergo a series of instrumental examinations.
Bubble skid and choriocarcinoma
These diseases can be attributed to the abnormal course of pregnancy. However, with these pathologies, the embryo in the uterus does not develop, and dangerous tumors form from chorionic cells. Therefore, women do not feel any signs of gestation.
The cause of cystic skidding becomes a chromosomal failure during the fertilization process. After the sperm and the egg merge, the chorionic villi begin to grow and turn into vesicles with fluid. The fetus either does not develop, or dies immediately. Pathologically overgrown chorionic particles produce an increased amount of hCG.
This dangerous pathology is accompanied by severe uterine bleeding. There are discharge from the genital tract with an admixture of vesicles. The patient needs emergency surgery. However, hCG in non-pregnant women may remain elevated even after removal of the cystic skid.
Chorioncarcinoma is a malignant neoplasm that is formed from cells of the membranes of the membranes. In this case, the embryo in the uterus does not develop or die. The tumor can grow outside the reproductive organs and give metastases to the lungs. Her cells constantly produce the hCG hormone.
The patient is concerned about abdominal pain and spotting, which are not amenable to conventional therapy. In the early stages of chorionic carcinoma is subject to conservative treatment with anticancer chemotherapy drugs.
Correction methods
What to do with increased hCG in non-pregnant? What hormone level indicates possible pathologies? With chorionic gonadotropin values above 5 mU / ml, the patient needs to undergo an additional examination. If a woman has not recently had an abortion or miscarriage and does not take hormonal drugs, then, most likely, the causes of deviations are associated with diseases.
The patient should definitely take an alpha-fetoprotein test. A study on this tumor marker will help confirm or deny the presence of malignant neoplasms. It is necessary to undergo a comprehensive gynecological examination to exclude a possible pregnancy, as well as cystic drift or chorionic carcinoma. The doctor may also prescribe an MRI or ultrasound of the reproductive organs.
There are no specific medicines to reduce hCG levels. The concentration of the hormone normalizes only after eliminating the cause of its increase.
Methods of correction of the content of chorionic gonadotropin depend on the etiology of deviations:
- When taking medication. If hormonal drugs are taken without a doctor's prescription, then it is necessary to abandon their uncontrolled use. If the patient is undergoing treatment with drugs with hCG, then the content of chorionic gonadotropin returns to normal on its own after the cessation of therapy.
- After an abortion or miscarriage. In this case, special treatment is not prescribed. HCG levels normalize as the body recovers. If the concentration of the hormone remains high for a long time, then it is necessary to cure the uterine cavity to remove the remains of the chorion.
- With malignant tumors. The choice of treatment method depends on the size of the neoplasm and the risk of metastasis. In the early stages, chemotherapy and radiation are used. In severe cases, tumors are removed surgically.
- With cystic drift. The patient needs urgent surgery. The doctor curettes the uterine cavity and removes the vesicles. If necessary, a chemotherapy course is prescribed. For 1.5 years, a woman should be under the supervision of a gynecologist and oncologist.
- With chorionic carcinoma. Patients are prescribed a course of treatment with cytostatics or radiation therapy. In severe cases, an operation is performed to remove the uterus.
It is important to remember that a high level of the hCG hormone in the absence of pregnancy is a very dangerous sign. This may indicate serious pathologies that should never be triggered.