Lippincott Antepartal Care Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Study Resource

The hormone identified as incorrectly being produced by the placenta is testosterone. During pregnancy, the placenta is primarily responsible for producing hormones that play significant roles in maintaining pregnancy and supporting fetal development. These hormones include estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

Estrogen is critical for stimulating uterine growth and increasing blood flow, while progesterone helps to maintain the uterine lining and prevent premature contractions. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is essential for signaling to the corpus luteum to continue producing progesterone during the first trimester, ensuring the pregnancy is sustained.

In contrast, testosterone is primarily produced in significant amounts by the testicles in males and to a lesser extent in ovaries and adrenal glands in females. Although small amounts of testosterone can be present in both male and female bodies, it is not a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. Therefore, the identification of testosterone as a placentally produced hormone is incorrect, underscoring the unique role of the placenta in hormone production during gestation.