Private Pregnancy Blood Test (Beta-hCG): £65, same-day results
The quantitative beta-hCG blood test, £65
A blood pregnancy test that measures the exact level of the pregnancy hormone hCG, not just a yes or no. It confirms a pregnancy a few days earlier than most home tests, settles a faint or confusing home result, and, repeated 48 hours later, shows whether the level is rising as it should. A doctor reviews every result and emails you a written report, the same day for blood taken at our Birmingham clinic Monday to Friday before 2pm. No fasting and no GP referral needed. Have your blood taken at our Kings Heath clinic in Birmingham with no blood-draw fee, at one of 100+ partner clinics across the UK, or at home.
Includes: the test, the lab fee, a doctor’s review of your hCG level against the weeks since your last period and a written report by email with the next step, the same day if your blood is taken Monday to Friday before 2pm. Nothing to pay on the day at the Birmingham clinic.
Book a pregnancy blood test online- No referral needed
- No fasting
- Same-day results
- Doctor-reviewed
- Confidential
- CQC-registered clinic
What a pregnancy blood test checks
One hormone, measured as a number. A home pregnancy test turns positive once the hCG in your urine passes a set level, usually 10 to 25 IU/L; the blood test detects levels down to 5 IU/L and tells you exactly where you are. That number matters most when you compare two of them: a level that roughly doubles over 48 hours is the pattern of a healthy early pregnancy, and one that stays flat or falls is the reason to be seen. A single number cannot show where the pregnancy is, how many weeks along it is, or whether it is twins; a scan does that.
- Beta-hCG human chorionic gonadotropin, the pregnancy hormone. It is made by the cells that will form the placenta, starting as soon as a fertilised egg implants in the womb, so it is the hormone every pregnancy test looks for. The blood test measures the actual amount in IU/L (the same as mIU/mL): under 5 is not pregnant, and in a healthy early pregnancy the level roughly doubles every two to three days until about 8 to 11 weeks. That number is what a home urine test cannot give you, and it is what makes a second test 48 hours later meaningful.
When to have one
A blood pregnancy test is worth having if any of these apply:
- You want the earliest reliable answer: the blood test is usually positive about 11 days after conception, a few days before your period is due
- A home test is faint, keeps changing, or the digital and line tests disagree
- You have had a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy before and want reassurance that the level is rising, with a second test 48 hours after the first
- Your fertility clinic (here or abroad) has asked for a beta-hCG 9 to 14 days after embryo transfer or insemination, and you need it done locally with a number to send them
- After a miscarriage or termination, to confirm the hCG has fallen back below 5
- You need a negative result in writing before an operation, an X-ray, a new medicine, a medical or a sport or work requirement
What happens
- Book online and choose where to have your blood taken: the Kings Heath clinic, a partner clinic near you or a home visit. Pay once; there is nothing to pay on the day.
- Give one small blood sample. It takes a few minutes. No fasting is needed, and how much you have drunk does not affect a blood test.
- The lab measures your hCG at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, usually the same day.
- A doctor reviews your result and emails you a written report, the same day for a sample taken Monday to Friday before 2pm, otherwise the next working day: the level in IU/L, whether it is pregnant, not pregnant or borderline, and how it fits the date of your last period.
- If a second test is needed, the report says when: 48 hours later to see whether a borderline or low level is rising, or a week later after a pregnancy loss to see it falling. A positive result is followed by booking with your midwife or GP, and anything worrying by an early scan through the NHS Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit. We write to your NHS GP with your consent.
How to prepare
- No fasting. Eat and drink normally, at any time of day.
- Have the date of the first day of your last period ready: the result is read against it.
- For a repeat test, book it 48 hours after the first, ideally at a similar time of day, so the two levels can be compared.
- Tell us about any fertility treatment, including an hCG trigger injection in the last two weeks, and about any pregnancy, miscarriage or termination in the last two months: all of these can leave hCG in the blood.
Where to have your blood taken
The test, the laboratory and the doctor’s report are the same wherever you live. Only the blood-draw fee differs, and it is charged once per visit however many tests you add.
Want more from the same sample? Add a progesterone (the early pregnancy pair), blood group and Rhesus or progesterone and blood group and the blood is taken once, with the multi-test discount applied at checkout.
hCG levels by week
| Weeks since your last period | Typical hCG level (IU/L) |
|---|---|
| Not pregnant | Below 5 |
| 3 weeks | 5 to 50 |
| 4 weeks | 5 to 426 |
| 5 weeks | 18 to 7,340 |
| 6 weeks | 1,080 to 56,500 |
| 7 to 8 weeks | 7,650 to 229,000 |
| 9 to 12 weeks | 25,700 to 288,000 |
| 13 to 16 weeks | 13,300 to 254,000 |
| 17 to 24 weeks | 4,060 to 165,400 |
| 25 to 40 weeks | 3,640 to 117,000 |
Weeks are counted from the first day of your last period, as your midwife will count them, so “4 weeks” is around the day your period is due. The ranges are wide on purpose: two healthy pregnancies of the same age can differ ten-fold, so a single level cannot date a pregnancy or say whether it is twins. Most laboratories call below 5 IU/L negative, above 25 positive, and 5 to 25 borderline, which is repeated in 48 hours. The rise matters more than the number: NICE guidance (NG126) treats a rise of more than 63% over 48 hours as the pattern of a developing pregnancy, and a fall of more than 50% as a pregnancy that is unlikely to continue. hCG peaks at 8 to 11 weeks and then falls, which is normal.
A positive result is the start, not the end: the next step is booking with a midwife or your GP, and the blood tests that help early on are the ones a midwife will also ask about: your blood group and Rhesus factor (important if you bleed), a full blood count for iron, and thyroid function. A borderline result is repeated in 48 hours. A level that is lower than expected, rises slowly or falls needs an early scan, which is arranged through your NHS GP or Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit; the hCG numbers are what they will ask for, and our report sets them out. These are the tests we add around a pregnancy test, all bookable at the same clinic:
Questions people ask
What is a beta-hCG blood test?
A blood test for pregnancy. It measures human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone the developing placenta starts making as soon as a pregnancy implants. “Beta” refers to the part of the hormone the test detects, which is unique to hCG, so it is not confused with other hormones. Unlike a home urine test it gives the exact level in IU/L, which confirms a pregnancy earlier and lets a second test show whether the level is rising.
How early can a blood test detect pregnancy?
hCG appears in the blood once the pregnancy implants, 6 to 12 days after conception, and the blood test is usually positive from about 11 days after conception, a few days before a missed period. It cannot detect a pregnancy before implantation, and a test at “2 weeks” (two weeks after the first day of your last period, around ovulation) is too early to mean anything. If you test early and the result is negative or borderline, repeat it 48 hours later or on the day your period is due.
What should my hCG level be?
Below 5 IU/L means not pregnant. Counting from the first day of your last period, typical levels are 5 to 50 at 3 weeks, 5 to 426 at 4 weeks, 18 to 7,340 at 5 weeks and 1,080 to 56,500 at 6 weeks, peaking at 8 to 11 weeks. The ranges are wide and healthy pregnancies vary a great deal, which is why a single level is less useful than two levels 48 hours apart: in a developing pregnancy it should rise by more than 63%, roughly doubling every two to three days.
Can an hCG blood test be wrong?
It is very accurate, but there are known reasons for a misleading result. A false negative is almost always testing too early, before enough hCG has built up. A false positive can follow a recent pregnancy, miscarriage or termination (hCG can take four to six weeks to clear), an hCG trigger injection in fertility treatment or hCG “diet” injections, and, rarely, antibodies in the blood that interfere with the test or an hCG-producing tumour. After the menopause a small amount of hCG from the pituitary gland can give a level of 5 to 14. The doctor reviewing your result takes these into account.
Can you be pregnant with a negative hCG blood test?
Only if the test was taken very early. A negative blood test taken on or after the day your period is due is reliable. Before that, implantation may not have happened yet or the level may still be below 5, so if your period does not arrive, repeat the test two or three days later. Ectopic pregnancies also produce hCG, so a negative blood test makes an ectopic pregnancy very unlikely.
Can an hCG blood test detect an ectopic pregnancy?
Not on its own. An ectopic pregnancy produces hCG too, and its level can look normal or rise slowly. What raises the concern is a level that rises less than expected over 48 hours, or a level high enough that a pregnancy should be visible in the womb on a scan when none is seen. Ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed with a transvaginal scan at an NHS Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit. If you have one-sided pain, shoulder-tip pain, bleeding or feel faint, go the same day rather than waiting for blood results.
Can an hCG blood test show a miscarriage?
Two tests 48 hours apart can show the trend. A level that falls by more than half over 48 hours means the pregnancy is unlikely to continue; a level that plateaus needs a scan. One result cannot diagnose a miscarriage, because healthy levels vary so widely. After a miscarriage, repeat tests are also used to confirm that hCG has fallen back below 5, which can take a few weeks.
Can an hCG blood test detect twins?
No. hCG levels are higher on average in twin pregnancies, but the overlap with single pregnancies is so large that no level can say whether you are carrying more than one baby. Twins are seen on an ultrasound scan, usually from about 7 weeks.
Is a blood test better than a home pregnancy test?
It is more sensitive (it detects hCG from 5 IU/L, while most home tests need 10 to 25) and it gives a number rather than a line. For most people a home test taken on the day the period is due is enough. The blood test is worth it when you want an answer a few days sooner, the home test is faint or confusing, you need the level for a fertility clinic, or you want to see the level rising after a previous loss. Digital “weeks indicator” home tests estimate time since conception from urine hCG, which is approximate; neither test dates a pregnancy as well as a scan.
Do I need to fast or drink water before an hCG blood test?
No. Eat and drink normally and come at any time of day. Unlike a urine test, the blood test is not diluted by drinking a lot of water, so there is no need to wait for first-morning urine.
Can I get an hCG blood test without a GP referral?
Yes. You can book a private beta-hCG test directly with us, with no referral. NHS GPs rarely offer a blood pregnancy test simply to confirm a pregnancy; the NHS uses serial hCG tests through Early Pregnancy Assessment Units when there is pain, bleeding or a pregnancy of unknown location. We send your result to you, and to your NHS GP if you would like us to.
Can I do an hCG blood test at home?
Home kits for hCG are urine tests; a quantitative blood level needs a venous sample processed by a laboratory. If you would rather not travel, a phlebotomist can take the sample at your home anywhere in England for a £60 visit fee, and the result comes back the same way as a clinic test.
How long do hCG blood test results take?
Blood taken at our Birmingham clinic Monday to Friday before 2pm is tested and reported the same day, usually by the evening. A sample taken later in the day, or at the weekend, is reported the next working day. Samples from partner clinics and home visits are couriered to the same laboratory and typically take one to two working days.
How much does a private hCG blood test cost?
£65 at OneMedicine, which includes the laboratory test, a doctor’s review and a written report by email. Progesterone is £50 and blood group and Rhesus £45 from the same sample. There is no blood-draw fee at our Birmingham clinic; a partner clinic elsewhere in the UK adds £29 and a home visit in England £60, once per visit. A repeat test 48 hours later is booked and charged as a new test.
Read more
- The Blood Pregnancy Test (Beta-hCG) Explained
- Know Your Blood Group and Rhesus Type
- What Blood Tests Are Done for Fertility?
- Irregular Periods: What Blood Tests Can Help
- What Is Folate and Why Does It Matter?
OneMedicine, 1 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7AR. Opposite Kings Heath railway station, on-site parking. CQC-registered.
