{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Human placenta lactogen (hPL), also known as human chorionic somatomammotropin (HCS), is a polypeptide placental hormone. Its structure and function are similar to that of human growth hormone. It modifies the metabolic state of the mother during pregnancy to facilitate the energy supply of the fetus. It is first detectable in the maternal serum in the fifth week of gestation and reaches a plateau by the thirty-fourth week."}]}]}