human chorionic gonadotropin

noun

Definition of human chorionic gonadotropin

: a glycoprotein hormone similar in structure to luteinizing hormone that is secreted by the placenta during early pregnancy to maintain corpus luteum function and is commonly tested for as an indicator of pregnancy

Recent Examples of human chorionic gonadotropin from the Web

At-home pregnancy tests—including Lia—look for the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in your pee.

— korin miller, SELF, "You Can Flush This Pregnancy Test After You Take It," 13 Dec. 2017
For example, when a woman becomes pregnant, her placenta produces human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG.

— erin blakemore, Washington Post, "A fascinating look at antibody-based technology. Really.," 29 Oct. 2017
Those little pee sticks look for the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), which is produced during pregnancy.

— korin miller, SELF, "Missed Period and Negative Pregnancy Test? Here's What to Do Next," 27 Oct. 2017
Pregnancy tests measure the level of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG for short) that's produced by the placenta — in other words, only present in pregnant people.

— hannah orenstein, Seventeen, "Here’s When You Should Take a Pregnancy Test," 13 Sep. 2017
This marks Cushing's second positive test for performance enhancing drugs after testing positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (a fertility drug) as a rookie in 2010.

— chris chavez, SI.com, "Texans' Brian Cushing Suspended 10 Games for Violating League's PED Policy," 13 Sep. 2017
Doctors believe the cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy to be rapidly rising blood levels of a hormone called HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, which is released by the placenta, according to the National Institutes of Health.

— janice lloyd and liz szabo, USA TODAY, "What is Hyperemesis Gravidarum?," 4 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'human chorionic gonadotropin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of human chorionic gonadotropin

1939

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

human chorionic gonadotropin

noun

medical Definition of human chorionic gonadotropin

: a glycoprotein hormone similar in structure to luteinizing hormone that is secreted by the placenta during early pregnancy to maintain corpus luteum function and stimulate placental progesterone production, is found in the urine and blood serum of pregnant women, is commonly tested for as an indicator of pregnancy, is used medically to induce ovulation and to treat male hypogonadism and cryptorchidism, and is produced in certain cancers (as of the testes) —abbreviation HCG