HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin)
Also known as: hCG · Pregnyl · Novarel · Choragon · Ovidrel (recombinant)
Tag note. HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is technically a protein, not a strict peptide (a chain longer than ~100 amino acids). The community treats it as a peptide because it ships through the same research-peptide and clinic channels; the biochemistry classification is protein. Same data, more accurate label.
FDA-approved for cryptorchidism, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and ovulation induction; off-label TRT/PCT use is non-validated; documented AE profile.
Rating per Panya's data-first method, not regulator endorsement. The mechanism, dose, and risk sections below carry the underlying data.
HCG is a 244-amino-acid glycoprotein hormone (alpha + beta subunits) structurally similar to luteinising hormone. FDA-approved for fertility and cryptorchidism since the 1970s; widely used off-label in TRT support and post-cycle therapy after anabolic steroid use.
Last reviewed · Panya.health editorial
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Not medical advice. HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) 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
HCG is produced naturally by the placenta during pregnancy and is the molecule pregnancy tests detect. The pharmaceutical product is purified from urine of pregnant women (Pregnyl, Novarel) or produced recombinantly (Ovidrel). HCG binds the LH receptor (LHCGR) on testicular Leydig cells in men, driving testosterone production through the same pathway endogenous LH uses; in women it binds LHCGR on ovarian follicles and triggers ovulation. The structural overlap with LH is the basis for both the FDA-approved indications and the off-label use cases. In hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, exogenous HCG bypasses the broken hypothalamic-pituitary signal and stimulates testicular function directly. In TRT support, HCG preserves testicular volume and endogenous testosterone production that would otherwise atrophy under exogenous testosterone administration. In post-cycle therapy, HCG kick-starts the suppressed HPG axis after anabolic-steroid use ends.
Typical practice
FDA-approved dosing: cryptorchidism 1500 to 3000 IU intramuscular, 2 to 3 times weekly for 6 to 8 weeks; hypogonadotropic hypogonadism 1000 to 2000 IU 2 to 3 times weekly long-term; ovulation induction 5000 to 10000 IU single dose to trigger ovulation. Off-label TRT-support community practice: 250 to 500 IU subcutaneous, 2 to 3 times weekly, alongside testosterone replacement (Crosnoe 2013, AUA practice patterns). Post-cycle therapy protocols vary widely: 500 to 1500 IU every other day for 2 to 3 weeks. Reconstitution is typically 5000 IU vial in 1 to 5 mL bacteriostatic water; the diluent volume sets the concentration per draw. Recombinant HCG (Ovidrel) is sold pre-mixed in pre-filled syringes at 250 µg fixed dose. There is no FDA-approved dosing protocol for the TRT-support or PCT use cases; the doses above reflect community practice and a small TRT-supplementation literature.
The dosing above is community practice, not a regulator-validated protocol. Trial-validated dosing for HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in humans does not exist for most use cases listed.
Risks and contraindications
Reported adverse events from clinical trials and community use: gynecomastia (HCG drives Leydig-cell aromatase activity, raising estradiol; the most-reported AE in TRT-support context), water retention, mood changes, mild injection-site reactions, fatigue. In ovulation-induction use, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is the documented serious AE in 1 to 5% of cycles depending on protocol. In men, prolonged supraphysiological HCG dosing has been associated with desensitisation of the LH receptor (Coviello 2005); the standard mitigation is dose reduction or cycling. No trial data exists in pregnancy use beyond the molecule's natural pregnancy presence, which is the inverse of most peptides on this catalog. Drug interactions include co-administration with aromatase inhibitors in the TRT-support context to manage the estradiol rise. The HCG diet protocol (Simeons 1954) was found in multiple controlled trials to produce no weight loss beyond placebo + caloric restriction (Lijesen 1995); FDA issued a 2011 warning against off-label HCG diet products. The pharmaceutical-grade molecule is well-characterised; the regulatory and AE profile differ between FDA-approved and off-label contexts.
Where this stands legally
FDA-approved as Pregnyl (Organon), Novarel (Ferring), Ovidrel (recombinant, EMD Serono) for cryptorchidism, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and ovulation induction. Prescription-only. Off-label TRT-support use is widespread under physician oversight; off-label HCG diet products are subject to the 2011 FDA warning.
MHRA-approved (Choragon, Pregnyl). Prescription-only. NHS prescribing for fertility indications; private clinics provide TRT-support HCG with specialist oversight.
EMA-approved (Pregnyl, Ovitrelle/Ovidrel). Prescription-only across member states. Compounded HCG for TRT-support is more accessible in some EU jurisdictions than others.
TGA-approved (Pregnyl). Schedule 4 prescription-only. PBS-listed for fertility; off-label TRT-support HCG is privately prescribed.
Thai FDA-approved (Pregnyl, Choriomon). Prescription medicine; available through hospital pharmacies and Bangkok men's-health clinics for both approved and off-label uses.
HSA-approved. Prescription-only. Available through hospital and licensed clinic channels.
Vietnam Drug Administration approved. Prescription medicine; available through hospital pharmacies in HCMC and Hanoi.
MoHAP-approved as Pregnyl. Prescription-only. Common in UAE fertility clinics and men's-health context.
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.
- Hospital and clinic pharmacies (FDA/EMA/MHRA/TGA-approved branded products: Pregnyl, Novarel, Choragon, Ovidrel)Pending Panya 11-signal audit
- Compounding pharmacies in jurisdictions where TRT-support HCG is privately prescribedPending Panya 11-signal audit
- Men's-health clinics in BKK, Singapore, UAE for off-label TRT-support context (with physician oversight)Pending Panya 11-signal audit
- Online research-peptide vendors selling HCG as 'research chemical' (the regulatory-approved product is available legitimately almost everywhere on this list, which makes the research-chem channel mostly unnecessary for this molecule)Pending Panya 11-signal audit
Full vendor scorecards for HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) 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
- Crosnoe LE, Grober E, Ohl D, Kim ED. (2013) Exogenous testosterone: a preventable cause of male infertility. Transl Androl Urol →
- Coviello AD, Matsumoto AM, Bremner WJ et al. (2005) Low-dose human chorionic gonadotropin maintains intratesticular testosterone in normal men with testosterone-induced gonadotropin suppression. J Clin Endocrinol Metab →
- Lijesen GK, Theeuwen I, Assendelft WJ, Van Der Wal G. (1995) The effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity by means of the Simeons therapy: a criteria-based meta-analysis. Br J Clin Pharmacol →
- FDA Consumer Update (2011) HCG Diet Products Are Illegal →
- 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 →
Adjacent reading
Track HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in your peptide journal.
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