Gonadorelin
Also known as: GnRH · LHRH · Factrel (US, withdrawn) · Lutrelef (EU) · Gonadorelin acetate
FDA-approved as Factrel 1982 (US withdrawn 2002 for commercial reasons); EMA Lutrelef approved; off-label PCT use is non-validated; short half-life.
Rating per Panya's data-first method, not regulator endorsement. The mechanism, dose, and risk sections below carry the underlying data.
Gonadorelin is the synthetic form of endogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone, a decapeptide produced by the hypothalamus that drives pulsatile LH and FSH release from the pituitary. FDA-approved 1982 (US withdrawn 2002 for commercial reasons); still EMA-approved for pulsatile-pump therapy in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
Last reviewed · Panya.health editorial
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Not medical advice. Gonadorelin is not approved for human medical use in most jurisdictions. The data below is what users do; it is not what regulators have validated. You decide your risk profile.
What it does, and how
Native GnRH is a 10-residue peptide (pyroGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH2) released from the hypothalamus in pulses every 60 to 120 minutes. The pulsatile pattern is the signal: pituitary gonadotrophs respond to pulses by secreting LH and FSH, which drive testicular Leydig-cell testosterone production in men and ovarian follicle maturation in women. Continuous (non-pulsatile) administration paradoxically suppresses the same axis through receptor desensitisation, which is the mechanism long-acting GnRH agonists like leuprolide and goserelin exploit therapeutically for prostate cancer, endometriosis, and precocious puberty. Gonadorelin's short half-life (about 10 minutes) makes pulsatile-pump delivery the only way to use it as a stimulant; bolus injection produces a single LH pulse. The HCG entry covers a related but distinct mechanism (HCG binds the LH receptor directly on Leydig cells; Gonadorelin acts upstream at the pituitary).
Typical practice
FDA-approved indication doses: diagnostic GnRH stimulation 100 µg single intravenous or subcutaneous bolus to test pituitary responsiveness. Pulsatile-pump therapy in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: 5 to 25 µg subcutaneous every 90 to 120 minutes via portable infusion pump for 6 to 24 months to induce spermatogenesis or ovulation; trial protocols cited in Filicori 1994 and Liu 2009. Off-label PCT community protocols: 100 to 200 µg subcutaneous bolus 1 to 3 times daily for 2 to 4 weeks, attempting to mimic pulsatile release with bolus dosing; the pulse frequency is much slower than the natural 90-minute pattern, which the community literature acknowledges is a compromise rather than a faithful pulsatile reproduction. Reconstitution: typical 0.5 to 1 mg vial in 1 to 2 mL bacteriostatic water. There is no FDA-approved dosing protocol for the PCT use case; the doses above reflect community practice.
The dosing above is community practice, not a regulator-validated protocol. Trial-validated dosing for Gonadorelin in humans does not exist for most use cases listed.
Risks and contraindications
Reported adverse events from Factrel/Lutrelef trial data: injection-site reactions, flushing, nausea, occasional headache. Pulsatile-pump therapy has a longer-term AE profile in the published cohorts: pump-site infection, antibody formation against the peptide (rare, but documented in long-duration use). Continuous administration causes the same paradoxical suppression that long-acting GnRH agonists produce therapeutically, which is the dose-pattern risk: bolus PCT protocols with too-frequent dosing can flip from stimulatory to suppressive. Anaphylaxis has been reported in rare cases. No trial data exists in pregnancy or lactation cohorts for the off-label PCT context. Drug interactions: dopamine and prolactin-axis modulators alter GnRH responsiveness; sex steroids (testosterone, estrogens) feed back on the same pituitary cells. WADA does not currently list Gonadorelin as prohibited (the long-acting suppressive analogs leuprolide/goserelin are also not WADA-listed; the rationale is that they suppress rather than enhance).
Where this stands legally
FDA-approved as Factrel in 1982 for diagnostic GnRH stimulation; voluntarily withdrawn from US market in 2002 by Wyeth-Ayerst for commercial reasons (low sales), not safety. Compounding pharmacies supply Gonadorelin acetate for hypogonadism and off-label PCT contexts. WADA: not listed.
MHRA-approved (Lutrelef, Pharmasure). Available through licensed clinics for pulsatile-pump therapy in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
EMA-approved (Lutrelef, Ferring). Still actively marketed for pulsatile-pump fertility induction. Compounded acetate forms available for off-label use through licensed pharmacies.
TGA-approved (Lutrelef). Available through specialist endocrinology and fertility services.
Not Thai FDA-registered as a standalone product. Available through Bangkok men's-health clinics compounding for PCT contexts; physician oversight varies.
HSA classifies injectable peptides as prescription-controlled. Available through licensed clinics for fertility and hypogonadism contexts.
No standalone Vietnam Drug Administration registration. Compounded for fertility-clinic use; research-peptide channels supply the broader off-label demand.
Health Canada approved (Lutrelef). Available for pulsatile-pump therapy through specialist clinics.
Where users say they source it
Names below are sourced from community discussion. None are currently scored against the Panya 11-signal rubric. Panya does not earn commission on any of these. You can search them yourself; treat the list as a starting point for your own diligence, not an endorsement.
- Lutrelef (Ferring) through licensed pharmacies in EU/UK/AU/CA jurisdictionsPending Panya 11-signal audit
- US compounding pharmacies supplying Gonadorelin acetate by physician prescriptionPending Panya 11-signal audit
- Bangkok and HCMC men's-health clinics for off-label PCT contexts (variable physician oversight)Pending Panya 11-signal audit
- International research-peptide vendors with COA per lot (audit identity by HPLC; the GnRH peptide is short enough that purity is the main quality signal)Pending Panya 11-signal audit
Full vendor scorecards for Gonadorelin land in a follow-up sprint after lawyer review and payment processor selection. We will not route users to any vendor that scores below 70 on the rubric.
Papers worth reading directly
- Filicori M, Flamigni C, Dellai P et al. (1994) Treatment of anovulation with pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone: prognostic factors and clinical results in 600 cycles. J Clin Endocrinol Metab →
- Liu PY, Baker HW, Jayadev V et al. (2009) Induction of spermatogenesis and fertility during gonadotropin treatment of gonadotropin-deficient infertile men: predictors of fertility outcome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab →
- Hayes FJ, Hall JE, Boepple PA, Crowley WF Jr. (1998) Differential control of gonadotropin secretion in the human: endocrine role of inhibin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab →
- Boyar RM, Wu RH, Roffwarg H et al. (1976) Human puberty: 24-hour estradiol pattern in pubertal girls. J Clin Endocrinol Metab →
- Casper RF, Yen SS. (1979) Induction of luteolysis in the human with a long-acting analog of luteinizing hormone-releasing factor. Science →
Adjacent reading
Track Gonadorelin in your peptide journal.
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