Human chorionic gonadotropin

Human chorionic gonadotropin

A community portal about Human chorionic gonadotropin with blogs, videos, and photos. According to Wikipedia.org: Human chorionic gonadotropin is a peptide hormone produced in pregnancy, that is made by the embryo soon after conception... [more]

A community portal about Human chorionic gonadotropin with blogs, videos, and photos. According to Wikipedia.org: Human chorionic gonadotropin is a peptide hormone produced in pregnancy, that is made by the embryo soon after conception and later by the syncytiotrophoblast. Its role is to prevent the disintegration of the corpus luteum of the ovary and thereby maintain progesterone production that is critical for a pregnancy in humans. hCG may have additional functions, for instance it is thought that it affects the immune tolerance of the pregnancy. Early pregnancy testing generally is based on the detection or measurement of hCG.

How an early pregnancy test works

The science behind an early pregnancy test is quite interesting. All pregnancy tests work by detecting the presence of human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone is produced in the body only when an embryo has been conceived and been implanted into the womb lining.

The level of hCG increases throughout the pregnancy, so it is a reliable indicator of whether or not a foetus has been conceived. While home pregnancy tests work by measuring whether or not hCG is present in urine, early pregnancy tests check for the hormone in the blood, where it is present in much higher quantities. Because of the higher concentration, this test can detect pregnancy much earlier.
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