Course Objectives

The goal of this program is to provide nurses and other healthcare professionals with practical information about hormone activity during pregnancy.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to:

• Recognize the value of health professionals understanding and educating their patients and their families about hormone activity during pregnancy.
• Review basic terms and concepts about endocrine activity.
• Indicate where specific glands are located in the body.
• Differentiate between the hormone activity involved in the normal menstrual cycle, and the hormone activity occurring immediately after conception.
• Describe the features of the placental/fetal unit and compare the protein and steroid hormones.
• Discuss the major activity of estrogen, progesterone, hCG, and HPL.
• Describe the activity of the hypothalamus
• Compare the tissues and hormonal activity of the anterior and posterior pituitary glands, including FSH, LH, TSH, PRL, ACTH, GH, oxytocin and ADH.
• Discuss the major hormones of the thyroid, parathyroid, pancreas, and adrenal glands with respect to their actions during pregnancy.
• Differentiate between hormones and prostaglandins, and describe the activity of prostaglandins during pregnancy.