TY - JOUR T1 - Elevated hCG can be a benign finding in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women JF - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine JO - Cleve Clin J Med SP - 635 LP - 639 DO - 10.3949/ccjm.88a.18069 VL - 88 IS - 11 AU - Lea El Hage AU - Betul Hatipoglu Y1 - 2021/11/01 UR - http://www.ccjm.org/content/88/11/635.abstract N2 - In a perimenopausal or postmenopausal woman, an elevation in human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can raise the concern of malignancy or even pregnancy, but it can also be a benign physiologic finding due to production in the pituitary gland in this patient population. Diagnosing the underlying cause of hCG elevation can be challenging, especially if a pituitary source is not considered. Pituitary hCG production remains largely underrecognized and can lead to unnecessary testing, harmful therapy such as chemotherapy, or delay in receiving appropriate care for other unrelated diseases. It is therefore important to establish guidelines to aid medical evaluation. ER -