Choice A rationale
Estrogen is a hormone that plays a crucial role in pregnancy. It helps develop the placenta and triggers increased blood volume and flow throughout pregnancy. However, it is not the primary hormone responsible for maintaining pregnancy.
Choice B rationale
Oxytocin is a hormone that plays a key role in labor and breastfeeding. It causes contractions during labor and helps eject milk during breastfeeding. However, it is not the primary hormone responsible for maintaining pregnancy.
Choice C rationale
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced during pregnancy. It is made almost exclusively in the placenta and its main function is to maintain the corpus luteum in the ovary and stimulate it to produce progesterone. However, hCG itself is not the primary hormone responsible for maintaining pregnancy.
Choice D rationale
Progesterone is the primary hormone responsible for maintaining pregnancy. It prevents the uterine muscles from contracting prematurely, which could lead to a miscarriage or preterm birth.

Choice A rationale

The client’s symptoms of elevated blood pressure, 3+ edema in the lower extremities, and 3+ proteinuria are indicative of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy that begins after 20 weeks of gestation in women whose blood pressure had previously been in the standard range. It is associated with high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, often the liver and kidneys. In this case, the nurse should initiate seizure precautions and monitor the client’s neurological status and liver function studies. Seizure precautions are necessary because eclampsia, a severe form of preeclampsia, can lead to seizures. Monitoring neurological status can help detect changes in the client’s condition, and liver function studies can help assess the impact of preeclampsia on the liver.

Choice B rationale

While the client does have a history of chronic hypertension, the current symptoms suggest a condition more severe than chronic hypertension. Administering antihypertensive medication and monitoring blood pressure and heart rate would be appropriate actions for managing chronic hypertension, but they may not be sufficient to address the client’s current condition.

Choice C rationale

Gestational diabetes is a condition characterized by high blood sugar levels that develop during pregnancy in women who did not have diabetes before pregnancy. The client’s symptoms do not indicate gestational diabetes. While administering insulin and monitoring blood glucose levels and fetal heart rate would be appropriate actions for managing gestational diabetes, they do not address the client’s current symptoms.

Choice D rationale

Preterm labor refers to regular contractions of the uterus resulting in changes in the cervix that start before 37 weeks of pregnancy. The client’s symptoms do not suggest preterm labor. Administering tocolytics and monitoring contraction pattern and cervical dilation would be appropriate actions for managing preterm labor, but they do not address the client’s current symptoms.