human chorionic gonadotropin
Học thuậtThân thiện
A doctor explains that human chorionic gonadotropin is detected by a pregnancy test.
Definition
Noun: - A hormone produced by the placenta early in pregnancy: Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone. Its presence in urine or blood is a key indicator used for confirming pregnancy.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The doctor confirmed the pregnancy after detecting human chorionic gonadotropin in the blood test.
- Home pregnancy tests work by identifying human chorionic gonadotropin in a woman's urine.
Advanced Usage
- Medical Monitoring: In clinical settings, quantitative measurements of human chorionic gonadotropin levels are tracked to monitor early pregnancy progression and health.
- Tumor Marker: In certain non-pregnancy contexts, human chorionic gonadotropin can be produced by some types of tumors and is therefore used as a biochemical marker.
Variants and Related Words
- hCG: The common abbreviation for human chorionic gonadotropin.
- The lab report showed elevated hCG levels.
- Chorionic gonadotropin: A synonymous term, often used in medical literature.
Synonyms
- Pregnancy hormone: An informal term describing its primary function.
A doctor explains that human chorionic gonadotropin is detected by a pregnancy test.
Noun
- hormone produced early in pregnancy by the placenta; detection in the urine and serum is the basis for one kind of pregnancy test