Assertion : In a regular medical examination of a small population, a 35 years old lady was found to have higher levels of oestrogens, progesterone in her blood. Reason : The lady is 12 weeks pregnant.

Step-by-step solution

One of the hormones released by the placenta is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone is secreted by the trophoblast cells even before they become the chorion, and is the hormone assayed in the pregnancy test. Because its action is almost identical to that of luteinizing hormone (LH), hCG maintains the mother's corpus luteum. The corpus luteum, in turn, continues to secrete oestrogens and progesterone, thereby preventing menstruation and further ovulations. At around 10^ th week, the secretion of human c