Page 10 - SONO 260 THE FIRST TRIMESTER
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                                                                  ž The laboratory test used to detect pregnancy is hCG.
¡ This protein is produced throughout pregnancy by the placenta.
ž In the first trimester, HCG maintains the corpus luteum of the ovary so that the corpus luteum can continue to produce progesterone.
ž The sustained production of progesterone maintains the thickness of the endometrium, thus allowing implantation to occur.
ž Clinically, hCG can be detected in the maternal urine and serum (blood).
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