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Medical Definition of Chorionic gonadotrophic hormone
1. A glycoprotein with a carbohydrate fraction composed of d-galactose and hexosamine, extracted from the urine of pregnant women and produced by the placental trophoblastic cells; its most important role appears to be stimulation, during the first trimester, of ovarian secretion of the oestrogen and progesterone required for the integrity of conceptus; it appears to play no significant role in the last two trimesters of pregnancy, as the oestrogen and progesterone are then formed by the placenta. Synonym: anterior pituitary-like hormone, choriogonadotropin, chorionic gonadotropic hormone, chorionic gonadotrophic hormone, placenta gonadotropin, placentagonadotropin. (05 Mar 2000)