Library/For Wet/hCG

FDA-approvedFor WetFertility · TRT adjunctDecades of use+2 more

hCG

Human chorionic gonadotropin. We read all 60 studies. The protocol is below.

Updated 03 May 2026Read 16 minEvidence ●●●●●Citations 60

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Free — puts hCG on your decision board.

The hCG Report · $19

Everything you need to start: dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict.

One purchase · yours forever

Built from 60 cited studies.

Status

FDA

Class

For Wet

Evidence

5/ 5●●●●●

FDA-approved

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Decades of clinical use

$19 ↓

Phase 3 trials

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Read this if

you're on TRT and want to keep your testicles working and your fertility intact
you're running a structured PCT and need the real protocol, not Reddit folklore
you're going through IVF and your RE put it on the calendar
**dose orientation** — TRT testicular maintenance is **typically 250–500 IU 2–3×/week sub-Q** (Coviello 2005 PMID 15728198 used 125–500 IU EOD in the canonical paper); IVF/ovulation trigger is **a single 5,000–10,000 IU IM dose**; PCT is **500–1,500 IU EOD for 2–3 weeks**. The hCG diet's '125 IU/day' is a different (debunked) use case
**you came here for post-cycle therapy (PCT)** — the protocol shape is 500–1,500 IU EOD for 2–3 weeks. For most readers, oral [enclomiphene](/peptides/enclomiphene) at 12.5 mg/day for 4–6 weeks is the cleaner HPG-axis recovery path — no injections, longer half-life, lab monitoring stays the same

Skip this if

you're considering the "hCG diet" — the FDA already warned, it's still a scam
you have hormone-sensitive cancer or undiagnosed gynecological bleeding
**you refuse to monitor estradiol** — hCG drives intratesticular testosterone, which aromatizes; gynecomastia, water retention, and mood swings track elevated E2. **Get baseline + 6-week E2** if you're using it chronically for TRT support

The 4 ways you can buy hCG

Rx required (TRT clinic)

$80–$120/mo

Standard TRT-clinic adjunct; supply tightened 2022–2024 but rebounded.

RUO (research-only)

✓

Sold for research only

$30–$50/mo

Smaller market — synthesis route doesn't favor gray-raw economics here.

Gray market

✓

Illegal to import for huma…

$11–$18/mo

Rare for hCG specifically — synthesis route doesn't favor the gray channel.

Click any lane for the full Sourcing breakdown. Prices and lane availability vary by molecule — this is the per-peptide snapshot, not a generic table.

First 90 days · hCG

What we'd actually do

Weeks 1–2

On-demand class — works in 30–60 min on the day of use or it doesn't. The PT-141 effect either shows up at the proper dose or it's the wrong molecule for you.

Weeks 4–8

Side-effect accumulation is the real watch-for: facial hyperpigmentation (MC1 receptor), nausea with repeated use, mood changes.

Week 12 — decide

Decide based on the on-demand response pattern, not a slow build-up. There is no slow build-up here.

Quit if

Facial or scalp hyperpigmentation that doesn't fade after stopping for 2–4 weeks.
Persistent nausea on repeated use.
Zero response to 2–3 attempts at proper dose (one of these — it's not for everyone).

Identity

What it is.

hCG is human chorionic gonadotropin — a glycoprotein hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. It binds the LH receptor (luteinizing hormone receptor), which is why it's used clinically to mimic an LH signal. In men, that signal tells the testes to make testosterone and maintain spermatogenesis. In women, it triggers ovulation.

It's been on the market for decades, originally extracted from the urine of pregnant women (Pregnyl, Novarel) and now also produced as a recombinant version (Ovidrel). indications include female infertility (triggering ovulation in IVF), male hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and prepubertal cryptorchidism.

In the men's health and TRT world, hCG has a specific role: maintaining testicular size, function, and fertility in men on exogenous testosterone, where natural LH is suppressed. It's also used as a post-cycle therapy (PCT) agent to restart endogenous production. The discredited "hCG diet" of the 2010s is a separate, unrelated story.

TL;DR

TL;DR. 30-second version.

The compressed verdict — what hCG actually is, what the human evidence shows, and the watch-for in three bullets. Locked.

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Mechanism

Mechanism.

Mechanism · in the hCG report

How the molecule actually works — receptor profile, downstream signaling, what to expect mechanistically.

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Evidence

Evidence. What we actually know in humans.

Evidence · in the hCG report

The trial breakdown — phase, n, primary endpoint, who funded, what hit, what didn't.

Get the report · $19 ↓

Human-Evidence Factbox

FDA-approved

$19 ↓

Decades of clinical use

$19 ↓

Phase 3 trials

$19 ↓

Standard TRT adjunct

$19 ↓

Standard fertility drug

$19 ↓

Dose — TRT maintenance

$19 ↓

Dose — PCT

$19 ↓

Dose — IVF trigger

$19 ↓

Monitoring lab — chronic use

$19 ↓

Watch-for symptoms (elevated E2)

$19 ↓

Major adverse events flagged

$19 ↓

Dose

Dose. The actual protocol.

Dose · in the hCG report

The specific protocol — dose, titration schedule, cycle pattern, frequency, route.

We read 60 studies to write this report.

Get the report · $19 ↓

Sourcing

Sourcing. Where the cohort actually buys.

Sourcing · in the hCG report

Sourcing breakdown — vendor methodology, red flags, our published test results, COA checklist.

We read 60 studies to write this report.

Get the report · $19 ↓

Safety

Safety. Side effects.

Safety · in the hCG report

The watch-for list — contraindications, drug interactions, monitoring labs, when to stop.

Get the report · $19 ↓

Editorial Position

Editorial position.

Editorial Position · in the hCG report

Our editorial position — explicit yes / no / depends, with the reasoning behind it.

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Citations

Citations.

+Show all 60 citations

The hCG Report · $19

Everything you need to start.

Dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict. One purchase. Yours forever.

Built from 60 cited studies.

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