Pregnancy, Malignancy or Mother Nature? Persistence of High HCG Levels in a Perimenopausal Woman

Overview

Journal BMJ Case Rep

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2019 Jan 6

PMID 30610037

Citations 1

Authors

Ayse Y Demir

Ruben Ea Musson

Willem A Schols

Jitze M Duk

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Despite the fact that a small percentage of peri en postmenopausal women have mild elevations in human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) concentrations (<14 IU/L) besides high levels of gonadotrophins, a considerable number of clinicians are not aware of this phenomenon. We report a case of a 53-year-old woman with an unusually high hCG concentration (>40 IU/L) given her menopausal state. Although a pregnancy or a malignancy was unlikely on the basis of stable hCG levels, elevated gonadotrophins and a negative transvaginal ultrasound, her physicians were uncertain and chose an expectant approach by repeated testing. Ultimately, after consulting the laboratory, analytical interference was ruled out and pituitary origin of unusual high hCG level could be confirmed after conduction of a suppression test by oestrogen-progesterone hormone replacement therapy. Until that time, the patient had undergone a vast amount of laboratory tests and gynaecology consultations, resulting in an enormous amount of confusion, anxiety and overdiagnosis.

Citing Articles

Molecular pathways in placental-fetal development and disruption.

Adibi J, Zhao Y, Koistinen H, Mitchell R, Barrett E, Miller R Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2023; 581:112075.

PMID: 37852527 PMC: 10958409. DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2023.112075.

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