Educational reference only. Nothing on this page constitutes medical advice or encourages personal use of this compound. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before any decision involving your health.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

hCG · Pregnyl · Novarel · Choragon · Ovidrel

Limited human data

FDA-approvedGonadotropin Peptide Hormone Fertility Drug

RouteInjectableFDA-approved

Evidence grade: Limited human data

Pilot studies, observational data, or smaller RCTs. Grades summarize evidence quality, not whether a compound is appropriate, legal, or risk-free.

At a glance

What it is: hCG / Human Chorionic Gonadotropin / Pregnyl / Novarel / Choragon / Ovidrel — Gonadotropin, Peptide Hormone, Fertility Drug.
Why people use it: Testicular Atrophy During TRT · hCG as TRT Adjunct · hCG in Post-Cycle Therapy · PCT Protocol · On-Cycle hCG
What the evidence supports: This section is not a balanced 'some say, others say' presentation. The hCG diet for weight loss is one of the most thoroughly debunked weight-loss interventions in the history of diet pharmacology. The FDA's own prescribing label says the compound has no evidence for this use.

If you only read one thing

hCG is, depending on who is using it and why: a legitimate FDA-approved fertility hormone; the most important tool in testosterone restoration medicine; or the cornerstone of one of the longest-running diet frauds in American medical history. These three identities share a molecule but represent completely different pharmacological stories with completely different evidence bases, regulatory contexts, and risks. The challenge in writing this chapter is ensuring that the legitimate and well-evidenced applications (fertility and PCT/TRT) are not overshadowed by the fraudulent application (Simeons diet) — and that the fraudulent application is not given undeserved legitimacy by proximity to the legitimate ones.

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Published literature

14human RCTs5human studies0animal0in vitro

Evidence reality check

Human evidence

19 human studies

14 randomized; 5 observational.

Preclinical base

0 lab signals

0 animal; 0 in-vitro/mechanistic.

Evidence snapshot

This section is not a balanced 'some say, others say' presentation. The hCG diet for weight loss is one of the most thoroughly debunked weight-loss interventions in the history of diet pharmacology. The FDA's own prescribing label says the compound has no evidence for this use.

From the chapter quick-reference block.

Indication map

Supported / plausible / speculative / avoid

Plausible

Testicular Atrophy During TRT · hCG as TRT Adjunct · hCG in Post-Cycle Therapy · PCT Protocol · On-Cycle hCG

hCG is one of the most pharmacologically important compounds in this reference, with genuine and well-established clinical applications in fertility, testosterone restoration, and HPG axis management — and one of the most famous vehicles for medical fraud in diet history.

For the PCT and TRT context: hCG is irreplaceable for anyone using anabolic steroids or TRT who wishes to preserve testicular function, maintain fertility, or recover naturally. The LHCGR-mediated ITT restoration mechanism is unique — no other available compound directly stimulates Leydig cells with comparable efficiency at reasonable doses. The sequential hCG → SERM PCT protocol, properly executed, represents one of the more pharmacologically sophisticated recovery strategies available to the community and is dramatically superior to hCG-only or SERM-only protocols for full HPG axis recovery. The dosing is well-established, the safety profile is acceptable at standard doses with appropriate estrogen monitoring, and the pharmaceutical form is FDA-approved and available by prescription.

For the Simeons diet context: this is medical fraud with FDA documentation. The compound has been tested in 14 RCTs and found to have no effect on weight loss beyond caloric restriction. The FDA's own prescribing label says this. Anyone prescribing or selling hCG for weight loss is operating outside the evidence base and outside the FDA's explicit guidance. The 500-calorie diet that produces weight loss is also dangerously restrictive; the only thing hCG adds to it is hormonal side effects and cost.

Categories

Hormonal & HPTA Libido & Sexual Health Muscle & Performance

Properties

Active malignancy: hard stopWADA S2✓ FDA-approved✓ Human RCTHPTA: stimulating

Half-life

The 36-hour half-life of hCG vs LH's 30 minutes reflects the CTP extension's protective effect against renal clearance and plasma peptidase degradation

Evidence

BLimited human data

hCG vs LH — Why hCG Is the LH Mimetic of Choice

Both hCG and LH bind the same receptor: LHCGR (LH/hCG receptor) on Leydig cells and ovarian theca cells. hCG's C-terminal peptide extension gives it: ~3x higher receptor binding affinity than LH; much slower metabolic clearance; plasma half-life ~36 hours vs LH's ~30 minutes. These properties make hCG a pharmacologically superior LH mimetic for therapeutic applications — once or twice weekly dosing vs LH's pulsatile pattern that would require continuous infusion or very frequent injection to replicate therapeutically.

Three Identities

Identity 1 — Medical/Fertility: FDA-approved for female infertility (ovulation trigger), male hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and prepubertal cryptorchidism. Legitimate, well-evidenced clinical use. Identity 2 — PCT/TRT Adjunct: The most important hormone in anabolic steroid post-cycle therapy and TRT fertility preservation. Community use is the largest actual use context for this compound in the peptide space. Identity 3 — The Simeons Diet Fraud: A.T.W. Simeons' 1954 claim that hCG plus a 500-calorie diet causes weight loss beyond caloric restriction. The FDA label says there is 'no substantial evidence' for this. A meta-analysis of 14 RCTs confirms it. FDA and FTC have issued warning letters. A convicted fraudster (Kevin Trudeau) revived it in 2007.

FDA-Approved Indications

Pregnyl, Novarel (injectable hCG): (1) Induction of ovulation and pregnancy in anovulatory, infertile women in whom the cause of anovulation is secondary and not due to ovarian failure. (2) Treatment of selected cases of prepubertal cryptorchidism not due to anatomical obstruction. (3) Selected cases of male hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (Leydig cell failure). NOT approved: weight loss, athletic performance enhancement, bodybuilding PCT, or any indication not listed above. The label explicitly states hCG is not effective for weight loss beyond caloric restriction.

PCT and TRT Role

Anabolic steroids (including exogenous testosterone) suppress the HPG axis by suppressing LH and FSH production from the pituitary via negative feedback. LH suppression causes Leydig cells to become dormant — they stop producing testosterone and atrophy. hCG, as an LH mimetic, directly stimulates Leydig cells to resume testosterone production and maintain testicular volume and function, bypassing the suppressed pituitary entirely. For TRT: 250-500 IU SubQ 2-3x/week prevents testicular atrophy and maintains spermatogenesis. For PCT: short blast (1000-2500 IU EOD for 10-14 days) primes the testes before SERM (clomid/tamoxifen) therapy restores the HPG axis.

The Simeons Diet — The Fraud

Albert T.W. Simeons (1954): claimed 125 IU hCG daily + 500-calorie diet causes preferential fat mobilization and appetite suppression beyond caloric restriction alone. Evidence: 14 randomized controlled trials — meta-analysis shows no effect beyond caloric restriction. FDA prescribing label: 'no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction.' FDA/FTC: 7 warning letters to homeopathic hCG manufacturers. American Society of Bariatric Physicians: position statement opposing hCG for weight loss. Kevin Trudeau: convicted fraudster who revived the protocol in 'The Weight Loss Cure' (2007); received 10-year prison sentence for misrepresentation.

WADA Status

S2 — Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics. Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition). Detection via immunoassay targeting the hCG β-subunit. The presence of hCG in male athletes is unambiguously indicative of exogenous administration — no male endogenous production under non-pathological conditions.

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Oxytocin

Same class · Peptide Hormone

The First Peptide Ever Synthesized (Nobel Prize 1955). FDA-Approved for Obstetric Use Since the 1950s. The 'Love Hormone' That Science Has Substantially Complicated. Intranasal Bioavailability ~2%. Trust Enhancement Replication Failures. Autism Trials: Mixed to Null. Context-Dependent Effects That Can Go Either Direction. And an OTC Nasal Spray Industry Built on Evidence That Doesn't Support What It Claims.

Enclomiphene

Shared goal · hormonal

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HGH / Somatropin