Is high hcg in early pregnancy (5-6 weeks) and indicator of down syndrome?

Discuss w/ Dr.: How high? What specifics? Discuss these concerns w/ your OBGYN. I've heard that the increased risk is specifically about a small portion of the hCG called the beta subunit. If that is high, they consider it an increased risk for Down Syndrome. It's not so much a concern early in pregnancy - they usually test for this between 15-18 weeks and it's part of the quad-screening test. I hope this helps.