Background hCG in non-pregnant individuals: Need for more sensitive point-of-care and over-the-counter pregnancy tests

At home testing: optimizing management for the infertility physician

“…The home pregnancy test (HPT), since its introduction in 1960, has revolutionized the way in which early pregnancy is diagnosed (1,55,56). The HPT contain antibodies that bind to the b-hCG molecule to form complexes that result in a color change, which the patient can easily see and compare to a control bar (1,55).…”

“…The FDA as well as the US Department of Health and Human Services has issued detailed quality guidelines, including sensitivity ranges, that must be followed by manufacturers of home urinary b-hCG tests (56,58,59). Tests routinely claim to have an accuracy of 99% to detect certain b-hCG concentrations, typically quoted at 25-100 mIU/mL (1,31,55).…”

An Alternative Role of C1q in Cell Migration and Tissue Remodeling: Contribution to Trophoblast Invasion and Placental Development

“…The association of C1q with the invasive phenotype of trophoblast cells is further supported by the finding that this protein is synthesized exclusively by trophoblasts expressing HLA-G, a well- known marker of EVT. Thus, C1q can be considered as an additional marker of EVT, and its synthesis can be added to the list of phenotypic changes of decidual trophoblasts, including the expression pattern of adhesion molecules (56) and the secretion of hyperglycosylate human chorionic gonadotropin (57).…”

Over-the-Counter Pregnancy Tests

“…Recently, we performed a large study of background urine hCG. Our study tested 11,921 menstrual cycle urine samples and a proportional number of perimenopausal, menopausal, and biochemical pregnancies [11]. Considering hCG levels in biochemical pregnancies, perimenopause, and menopause cases, the 97.5th percentile was just 1.2 mIU/ml.…”