Courtney, a 34-year-old suspects that she is pregnant. An immunoassay test is performed to determine if she is pregnant. Which of the following statements is true about the test?

Explanation

•All serology pregnancy tests are designed to detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is a glycoprotein hormone secreted by the developing placenta shortly after fertilization. In normal pregnancy, the hCG hormone can be found in detectable amounts in serum and urine of pregnant women 7-10 days following fertilization.

•The appearance of hCG in urine soon after conception and its subsequent rise in concentration during early gestational growth make it an excellent marker for the early detection of pregnancy.

•Random urine specimens are appropriate for hCG testing, but the first morning urine is optimal because it generally contains the highest concentration of hCG.

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