An hCG level chart by week, with the caveats that matter
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is the hormone pregnancy tests detect. Once an embryo implants, hCG appears in the blood and climbs fast for the first two to three months, then falls and levels off. This hCG level chart by week shows the published ranges for each week since the first day of the last period, in mIU/mL, and lets you look a week up from your dates, from days past ovulation (DPO), or from an IVF embryo transfer.
The ranges are wide on purpose — at 6 weeks, for example, the published range runs from about a thousand to over fifty thousand. Healthy pregnancies can sit anywhere in a range, and some sit outside it. That is why this page does not ask for your result and never says whether a number is “normal”: what clinicians look at is how a level changes between tests, together with an ultrasound scan and how you feel.
How to use the hCG chart
- Choose what you know: weeks since your last period, days past ovulation, or days after a day-3 or day-5 embryo transfer.
- Enter the number of weeks and days, or days.
- Read the published range for that week; the bar chart and the table highlight the same week.
- To work out how fast your own results are rising, put two or three of them into the hCG doubling time calculator, and ask your clinic what they mean.
hCG Level Chart by Week features
Weeks 3 to 40
Every published band, from the first weeks after a missed period to term.
DPO and IVF conversions
Days past ovulation and days after a day-3 or day-5 transfer are converted to weeks since the last period.
Log-scale range chart
Shows how widely the bands spread and overlap.
No result box, no verdict
Reference ranges only — interpretation stays with your clinician.
hCG levels by week (mIU/mL)
Source: Cleveland Clinic, “Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)”, last updated 21 April 2025, which notes that the numbers are just a guide and levels may rise differently. Laboratories use different assays and print their own reference values on the report.
| Weeks since last period | Approx. days past ovulation | Published range |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7–13 | 5 – 50 |
| 4 | 14–20 | 5 – 426 |
| 5 | 21–27 | 18 – 7,340 |
| 6 | 28–34 | 1,080 – 56,500 |
| 7–8 | 35–48 | 7,650 – 229,000 |
| 9–12 | 49–76 | 25,700 – 288,000 |
| 13–16 | 77–104 | 13,300 – 254,000 |
| 17–24 | 105–160 | 4,060 – 165,400 |
| 25–40 | 161–272 | 3,640 – 117,000 |
After implantation, transfers and twins
- After implantation: implantation usually happens 6–12 days after ovulation, most often on days 8–10 (Wilcox et al., N Engl J Med 1999). Blood hCG can be measurable a few days later, which is why early tests may be negative. The implantation calculator estimates the window.
- IVF: a day-5 transfer is treated here as 5 days past ovulation and a day-3 transfer as 3 days; your clinic gives its own test day and its own figures.
- Twins: hCG is often higher with twins or more, but the ranges overlap so much that a level cannot show how many babies there are — only a scan can.
- Rises: “doubling every 48 hours” is not a rule. In a large study, the slowest two-day rises seen in ongoing pregnancies were about 33–49%, depending on the starting level (Barnhart et al., Obstet Gynecol 2016).
hCG Level Chart by Week FAQ
What is a normal hCG level at 4 weeks?
The published range at 4 weeks since the last period is about 5 to 426 mIU/mL. Many healthy pregnancies are near either end. Your clinician interprets your own result.
How do I read the hCG level chart by week?
Count weeks from the first day of your last period, not from conception, then find that row. If you know days past ovulation, choose DPO and the chart converts it.
Is there an hCG level chart for twins?
No separate validated chart is used: twin pregnancies often have higher hCG, but the ranges overlap with single pregnancies, so twins are confirmed by ultrasound.
Why is my hCG outside the range?
Ranges vary by lab and by how dates are counted, and a single number says little. Contact your doctor, midwife or clinic, who will usually repeat the test and arrange a scan.
Are mIU/mL and IU/L the same?
Yes — 1 mIU/mL equals 1 IU/L, so the numbers are identical.
Is this hCG chart medical advice?
No. It is information only, as of October 2026. Seek urgent care for severe pain, heavy bleeding, shoulder-tip pain or fainting.