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Placental Protein Hormones (hCG and hPL)

  • Chapter
Placental Function Tests

Abstract

The human placenta secretes a range of protein and small peptide hormones. The latter, which include corticotrophin (ACTH) and releasing factors, are only of academic interest and will not be discussed here. The larger protein hormones [human placental lactogen (hPL) ; human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)] are the subjects of this chapter. Both are widely used in routine clinical practice, but for very different applications. Thus, hPL is a classic ‘placental function test’ in the sense of ascertaining fetal wellbeing in late pregnancy, whereas hCG is primarily employed as a ‘pregnancy test’ or for the monitoring of trophoblastic tumours. However, the applications overlap to the extent that both have been used for the monitoring of abnormalities of early pregnancy, in particular threatened abortion.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College and the London Hospital Medical College, London, UK

    Tim Chard MD, FRCOG (Professor of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Physiology)

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK

    Arnold Klopper MD, FRCOG (Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology)

Authors
  1. Tim Chard MD, FRCOG
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  2. Arnold Klopper MD, FRCOG
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© 1982 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Chard, T., Klopper, A. (1982). Placental Protein Hormones (hCG and hPL). In: Placental Function Tests. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3508-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3508-1_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-11529-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-3508-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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