In Excreted Urine, a Reliable "Marker" That a Pregnancy Has

Question

In excreted urine, a reliable "marker" that a pregnancy has initiated is
A) progesterone.
B) estrogen.
C) follicle-stimulating hormone.
D) chorionic gonadotropin.
E) hypothalamic-releasing hormones.

Accepted Answer

Chorionic gonadotropin (CG) is produced by the placenta after implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus, and its detection in urine is a reliable marker of pregnancy initiation. Progesterone and estrogen are hormones that are important for maintaining pregnancy, but their presence in urine may not necessarily indicate pregnancy initiation. Follicle-stimulating hormone and hypothalamic-releasing hormones are not specific to pregnancy and would not be reliable markers of pregnancy initiation.