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Chapter 223 of 2363 min read

Fertilisation, implantation, pregnancy, parturition, lactation

Why this is asked: Early pregnancy runs on hCG: it is what keeps the corpus luteum from degenerating, and it is what a pregnancy test actually detects, buying time until the placenta itself takes over progesterone production later on. Parturition is one of the syllabus's rare genuine positive-feedback loops — signals from the fully developed foetus trigger mild contractions, which release oxytocin, which strengthens contractions further — the opposite of the negative feedback most hormone regulation in this chapter runs on.

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