Which hormone is confirmed to be present in urine during early pregnancy?

During early pregnancy, the hormone that is confirmed to be present in urine is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone is produced by the placenta shortly after implantation occurs. The presence of hCG in urine is the basis for many home pregnancy tests, which detect this hormone to confirm pregnancy.

As pregnancy progresses, hCG levels rise significantly, peaking around the eighth to tenth week, and then they gradually decline. Monitoring hCG levels is a common practice in early pregnancy to assess the health of the pregnancy, as abnormal levels can indicate potential complications.

While estrogen and progesterone play critical roles in maintaining pregnancy, they are not the hormones typically measured for early pregnancy confirmation in urine. Luteinizing hormone also does not serve this purpose; it is more involved in the regulation of the menstrual cycle and ovulation. Thus, the presence of hCG in urine is the definitive biochemical marker used to identify early pregnancy.