Sorry ladies, I'm hoping someone can help with this.....

I have a dear friend who has a beautiful son after having endless fertility treatments over the last 7 years. The last pregnancy through IVF in late 2006, ended sadly in a miscarriage & ectopic pregnancy (tube burst, thus lost one of her fallopian tubes).

Miracles do happen, she & her husband are now pregnant NATURALLY, approximately 5-6 weeks gone. Can anyone tell me the difference between HCG and Beta levels? Are they the same thing?

There is a list of suggested HCG levels in the pregnancy discussion area of the forum, but no mention of whether this is the same as beta.

Thanks in advance for any assistance. I know her recent beta was approx 10,600.