Rajeev Agarwal: This Isn’t How β-hCG Rises in a Pregnancy, But Sometimes Miracles Happen
Rajeev Agarwal, Director of Renew Healthcare, shared on LinkedIn:
“124 – 145 – 152.5 – 155.
If you work in fertility, you know exactly why those numbers frightened us.
After IVF, we ideally want β-hCG to rise strongly, usually close to doubling, and in our clinical practice we look for at least around a 60% rise over 48 hours.
Mahima’s β-hCG barely moved.
But here’s something important about β-hCG:
It is a marker. It is not the pregnancy itself.
Serial β-hCG trends are extremely useful in assessing an early pregnancy, but no single rise or mathematical cut-off predicts the outcome of every pregnancy with absolute certainty.
So we counselled them.
We kept our expectations realistic.
But importantly, we did not stop any of her treatment or pregnancy support.
And then:
155 – 604 – 1,732.
The last two measurements were three days apart.
The pregnancy continued.
Nine months later, as I walked in to deliver her, Mahima looked at me and said:
‘Doc, remember me? You were the one who said miracles happen.’
I certainly remembered.
There is another important part of their story.
Trilok carried an inherited genetic condition with a 50% transmission risk. They underwent formal genetic counselling and were offered IVF with PGT-M.
After understanding the implications, they made an informed decision not to pursue PGT-M.
Good medicine isn’t making every decision for a couple. It is explaining risk honestly, offering the available options, and then respecting an informed decision.
Medicine is built on evidence, probabilities, and guidelines. And it absolutely should be.
But patients are individuals, not percentages.
Science guided us.
Faith kept all of us going.
And this little baby reminded us that sometimes…
Miracles really do happen.”
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Sep 6, 2026, 17:01Sonu Balhara: Learning, Sharing and Rethinking at The Poor Responder Series
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Sep 6, 2026, 16:28Scott Rapoport: Presenting EmbryoNest – Biomimetic Approach to Embryo Culture
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Sep 6, 2026, 16:16Preconception Lifestyle Advice: What Helps, and What Does Not – Fertility Plus