Chemical pathology C22 Flashcards
What happens to the level of hormones and peptides produced by the placenta as the size increases
the levels of hormones increases with exception of hCG as the levels peak before the end of the first trimester
name four major placental hormones
hCG
progesterone
oestrogen
HPL
name three other hormones and peptides used in prenatal screening
Inhibin (peptide)
PAPP-A (peptide)
AFP (peptide)
What is hCG made by and what are the two subunits it has
it is made by syncytiotrophoblats of the placenta and has a alpha and beta subunit
what hormones is the alpha subunit common to?
TSH
FSH
LH
and they are encoded by a single gene
what is special about the beta subunit
it is unique to hCG
what is the function of hCG
it stimulates the corpus luteum to continue producing progesterone in early pregnancy until the placenta is able to produce enough progesterone to maintain pregnancy
what is the first hormone produced by the placenta
hCG
how long after conception can hCG levels be detected and when does it reach maximum levels
3 weeks and this means that hCG levels can be detected before the first missed period
it reaches maximum levels between 8 and 12 weeks and from then onwards the levels gradually decline as the placenta takes over the production of progesterone
what affects the interpretation of hCG levels
the antibody used in the lab assay
what is the diagnostic purpose of hCG
used to confirm pregnancy (for obvious reasons)
marker for trophoblastic disease (tumour marker)
retained products of conception
prenatal screening
used to confirm expected gestation age BUT does not establish gestation age as the ranges are too wide and people with multiple previous pregnancies tend to have higher levels of hCG
what type of hormones are progesterone and oestrogen
steroid hormone and it is produced from cholesterol (derived from maternal cholesterol)
what produces progesterone and oestrogen
at first it is the corpus luteum under hCG instructions then it is the produced by the placenta
what is the function of progesterone
prevents menstruation and maintains the endometrium for implantation of the blastocyst and placental invasion
what organs play a role in the production of oestrogen in pregnancy
the placenta
foetal adrenal gland
foetal liver
what is the primary oestrogen of pregnancy
Oestriol (E3)
- 10% unconjugated and the rest is conjugated (sulphate and glucuronate)
What is the function of oestrogen in pregnancy
maintains fetal and uterine well-being
what is HPL (human placental lactogen) similar to?
growth hormone and to a lesser extent it is also similar to prolactin
what is the function of HPL
in the mother it prevents uptake of glucose and promotes lipolysis in order to provide glucose for the fetus while the mother uses the fatty acids for energy
it also prepares mamillary glands for lactation
what is the function of Activin and Inhibin
they are regulators for GnRH, hCG and steroids
- inhibin is a negative feedback regulator of FSH and the placenta secretes large amounts of inhibin to prevent rise in FSH