hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin)
A hormone produced by pregnancy tissue, and also given as an injectable medication to trigger final egg maturation before egg collection.
In plain English
It's the hormone a pregnancy test detects, and it's also the injection some clinics use to trigger your eggs to finish maturing before collection.
Why it matters
As a trigger shot it must be timed precisely, and as a pregnancy marker it's what the beta hCG blood test measures.
Related terms
Guides that cover this
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