In late pregnancy, this hormone has less effect on your uterus, letting contractions increase and start labor.

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Multiple Choice

In late pregnancy, this hormone has less effect on your uterus, letting contractions increase and start labor.

Explanation:
Progesterone normally keeps the uterus calm during pregnancy, reducing its electrical and mechanical excitability. As term approaches, the uterus becomes less responsive to progesterone—a functional withdrawal of its relaxing effect. With that restraint diminished, other signals take over to ramp up activity: estrogen rises and increases myometrial responsiveness (more oxytocin receptors and gap junctions), prostaglandins rise to stimulate contractions and cervical ripening, and CRH levels contribute to the timing of labor by boosting fetal cortisol and prostaglandin production. So, the reduced effect of progesterone is what allows contractions to increase and labor to begin.

Progesterone normally keeps the uterus calm during pregnancy, reducing its electrical and mechanical excitability. As term approaches, the uterus becomes less responsive to progesterone—a functional withdrawal of its relaxing effect. With that restraint diminished, other signals take over to ramp up activity: estrogen rises and increases myometrial responsiveness (more oxytocin receptors and gap junctions), prostaglandins rise to stimulate contractions and cervical ripening, and CRH levels contribute to the timing of labor by boosting fetal cortisol and prostaglandin production. So, the reduced effect of progesterone is what allows contractions to increase and labor to begin.

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