1. Basic Introduction
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a biologically active secretion produced by placental cells with a variety of physiological effects. It is usually produced and opened in early pregnancy, and has important physiological effects on the woman's body, so that the normal development of the luteum is maintained in the early stage, thus maintaining the early pregnancy. HCG is an isomer consisting of two subunits, alpha and beta. The alpha subunit is the same as the luteinizing hormone and the testosterone beta subunit, while the beta subunit is similar to the follicle-producing hormone beta subunit. HCG performs its biological function primarily by activating the LH/CG receptor (a member of the same family), stimulating the ovaries to produce progesterone, providing fetal nutrient molecules, and maintaining the growth of the corpus luteum, thereby supporting and sustaining early pregnancy.
In addition to being present during pregnancy, HCG can also appear in the body fluids of non-pregnant people, such as men, women, and children, in small amounts. Detecting the presence of HCG can be used to diagnose pregnancy and other related conditions and is used in several medical and scientific applications.
2. Clinical application
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) has a wide range of clinical applications and acts through a variety of mechanisms:
HCG can be used for pregnancy testing, and HCG is one of the early indicators of pregnancy, which can be confirmed by a urine or blood test. HCG is produced because, after implantation of the fertilized egg, the embryo begins to secrete HCG, and detection of HCG levels can determine whether pregnancy has occurred. HCG can be used to assist infertility treatment and promote follicle maturation and ovulation, and during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, HCG is often used to stimulate the ovaries to ovulate and improve the chances of conception. HCG can also be used for early pregnancy diagnosis and monitoring, and the elevation of HCG in early pregnancy can be used to determine whether the pregnancy is stable and to assess embryonic development by continuously monitoring changes in HCG levels. Also used for the normal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, HCG, together with ovulation stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, maintains and supports the normal development and function of the corpus luteum, thereby sustaining early pregnancy. In addition, in non-pregnant persons, HCG also has the effect of enhancing testicular function, promoting the synthesis of adrenal cortisol and two sex hormones.
3. Action mechanism
By binding to LH/CG receptors, HCG simulates the function of luteinizing hormone and stimulates the ovaries to produce luteinizing hormone to maintain the normal development and function of lutein. HCG can also stimulate the Leydig cells of the testes to produce testosterone, promoting testicular development and testosterone synthesis. HCG can also produce alcohol and sex hormones by stimulating adrenal cortex cells. In general, the clinical application of HCG mainly involves pregnancy detection, gynecology, and reproductive medicine, early pregnancy diagnosis and monitoring, and regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, and plays a role by simulating the function of luteinizing hormone, stimulating testicular function, and promoting the synthesis of adrenal cortisol and two sex hormones.
4. Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
(1) Pregnancy test: HCG is one of the early indicators of pregnancy and can be confirmed by urine or blood test.
(2) Ultra-early pregnancy diagnosis: HCG is produced very early in the first trimester, which allows it to be used to diagnose and monitor early pregnancy and help determine the stability and development of pregnancy.
(3) Assisted infertility treatment: HCG can be used to assist infertility treatment to promote follicle maturation and ovulation. It can be used in combination with other infertility treatments to improve success rates.
(4) Thyroid function assessment: HCG can be used as one of the auxiliary indicators to assess thyroid function, especially during pregnancy.
(5) Therapeutic application: HCG can sometimes be used as a therapeutic drug for the treatment of certain diseases, such as testicular dysplasia and gonadal insufficiency.
Disadvantages:
(1) Non-specific: HCG can also appear in non-pregnancy conditions, such as some tumor cells can also secrete HCG, so there may be false positive results in the diagnosis and monitoring of certain diseases.
(2) Affected by biological variation: The level of HCG will have certain biological variability in the human body, so in clinical application, it is necessary to combine other indicators and clinical manifestations to make a comprehensive judgment.
(3) Uncertainty in the course of pregnancy: HCG levels will fluctuate during pregnancy, and the reference range is also different in different stages of pregnancy, so it is necessary to combine other detection indicators and clinical conditions for comprehensive assessment.
In summary, HCG has certain advantages as an indicator for clinical application, such as pregnancy detection, ultra-early pregnancy diagnosis, and assisted infertility treatment, but it also has some disadvantages, such as being non-specific and affected by biological variation. In clinical application, it is necessary to comprehensively consider other detection indicators and clinical conditions for comprehensive evaluation.