We often talk about "the hormones" of pregnancy and place them in the epicenter of all the physical and emotional changes of the pregnant woman. But there is a hormone that we specifically know as the pregnancy hormone and that is human chorionic gonadotropin (GCH).
It is a hormone that appears in the blood and urine of pregnant women approximately 10 days after conception. Therefore it is used in pregnancy tests: if the presence of this hormone is detected, it is that there is pregnancy.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (GCH)
Human chorionic gonadotropin is a glycoprotein hormone produced during pregnancy by the developing embryo after fertilization and subsequently by the syncytiotrophoblast (part of the placenta).
When pregnancy begins, the cells that will form the placenta begin to secrete this hormone in women. GCH levels increase rapidly during the first trimester of pregnancy (in fact, in the first days they almost double every 48 hours) and then decrease slightly.
If it is detected that the level of GCH does not rise properly at the beginning of pregnancy, it may indicate a problem. On the contrary, an abnormally high level of GCH can pose problems such as a miscarriage, a molar pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy, which is one that occurs outside the womb.
Also having an extremely high level of pregnancy hormone could suggest the presence of more than one fetus, that is, a multiple pregnancy. These data appear in the medical tests reviewed by gynecologists after the first visit (blood or urine). In the home pregnancy test the presence or absence of an implanted embryo is simply indicated.
GCH levels table according to the week of pregnancy
Weeks of pregnancy | GCH levels (mUI / ml) |
|---|---|
Non-pregnant women: | |
3 weeks DUP: | 5-50 mUI / ml |
4 weeks DUP: | 5-426 mUI / ml |
5 weeks DUP: | 18-7340 mIU / ml |
6 weeks DUP: | 1080-56500 mUI / ml |
7-8 DUP weeks: | 7650-229000 mIU / ml |
9-12 weeks DUP: | 25700-288000 mUI / ml |
13-16 weeks DUP: | 13300-254000 mUI / ml |
17-24 DUP weeks: | 4060-165400 mUI / ml |
25-40 weeks DUP: | 3640-117000 mUI / ml |
Postmenopausal women: |
In Babies and more, what will I feel? The most frequent discomforts in the first trimester of pregnancyWhat is the pregnancy hormone for?
Human chorionic gonadotropin facilitates the maintenance of the corpus luteum during the onset of pregnancy (just after the oocyte leaves the follicle) and the secretion of the hormone progesterone, which will contribute to the proper development of pregnancy.
In fact, progesterone is another essential hormone in pregnancy that at the beginning of pregnancy enriches the uterus with a thick lining of blood vessels and capillaries so that it can sustain the growth of the fetus.
Definitely, One of the main functions of human chorionic gonadotropin is to administer nutritional factors and stimulate the production of necessary amounts of other hormones for the embryo.
There are hypotheses about other functions, such as that the GCH could repel the cells of the mother's immune system, thus protecting the fetus during the first trimester. It has also been proposed that the pregnancy hormone could be a placental link for the development of local maternal immunotolerance.
For example, endometrial cells treated with hCG induce an increase in apoptosis of T cells (a solution of T cells). These results suggest that hCG could facilitate the function of the trophoblast, a group of cells that form the outer layer of the blastocyst, which provides nutrients to the embryo and develops as an important part of the placenta.
That is, the presence of this hormone would facilitate the good implantation of the embryo and the development of the fetus in the endometrium. Human chorionic gonadotropin also plays a role in cell differentiation and proliferation.
In Babies and more I have a delay in my period, am I pregnant?Finally, we must comment that GCH can also be used clinically to induce ovulation in the ovaries or the production of testosterone in the testicles. Therefore, it is used for fertility treatments due to its similarity with Luteinizing Hormone (LH) or luteostimulant, with an important role in the ovulation process.
In these cases, the hormone is obtained through its extraction from the urine of pregnant women, although it can also be produced by genetic modification, like other gonadotropins.
The artificial (and dangerous) use of this hormone as part of a dangerous diet is already discussed on another occasion.
After seeing what is the pregnancy hormoneWhen it occurs and what it is for, we will talk about the home pregnancy tests that are used to confirm or rule out pregnancy, since, as we have pointed out, the GCH has a leading role in detecting pregnancy.
Photos | iStockphoto
In Babies and more | Pregnancy test: when to do it, hormones during pregnancy
