Thinking about taking hCG? Studies have shown that hCG, a hormone produced primarily by syncytiotrophoblastic cells of the placenta during pregnancy does in fact have substantial benefits. Whether it’s to maintain fertility, increase testosterone, or drop a few pounds, there are a variety of reasons why you might be considering supplementing with Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Keep reading to find out more about hCG, what it does, how it works, and the benefits of hCG.
What Is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)
hCG is a hormone produced primarily by syncytiotrophoblastic cells of the placenta during pregnancy. hCG appears in the blood and urine of pregnant women as early as 10 days after conception. It also stimulates the corpus luteum to produce progesterone to maintain pregnancy. Smaller amounts of hCG can also be produced in the pituitary gland, the liver, and the colon [R]. So why would you want to supplement with a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women? Good question.
How Does hCG Work
So how does hCG work to increase the production of testosterone? hCG is an agonist of luteinizing hormone (LH). LH stimulates Leydig cells in the testicles, which results in the production of testosterone.
LH also stimulates the production of sperm and testosterone in the testes, increasing testicular growth. Therefore, supplementing with hCG can be a viable option to help boost natural levels of testosterone.
Benefits Of hCG
Infertility Treatment
The FDA recently approved the use of hCG to treat specific medical conditions, relating to females and males assigned at birth, to help with fertility, and hypogonadism.
In males, hCG can help increase the production of testosterone and sperm, which can help reduce infertility. hCG can be used as an alternative to TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) and is often combined with TRT, to reduce side effects and maintain fertility.
Boosts Testosterone Levels
Since hCG boosts levels of testosterone to improve fertility rates, that leads us into the next obvious benefit.
Testosterone replacement therapy, (TRT) is a commonly used method to boost levels of free form testosterone in the body. However, increasing testosterone can have side effects such as shrinking the gonads and causing infertility. By combining hCG with testosterone, you can therefore, reduce infertility in males with testosterone deficiency, by increasing free levels of testosterone.
Bodybuilders may use hCG for a taper off testosterone or anabolic steroids, to try and maintain levels of testosterone. Peptides such as sermorelin and tesamorelin are used as well, to taper and maintain testosterone levels.
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Current evidence shows that he testosterone and sperm production triggering effects of HCG without the side effects on fertility seen in testosterone replacement therapy make HCG therapy a prime candidate for patients suffering from secondary hypogonadism [R].
Does Not Benefit Weight Loss
Many of you, may have heard of the hCG diet. However, be aware. There is no current evidence that shows the hCG diet is effective or safe. hCG is not approved for weight loss treatment and is considered off-label use by the FDA.
The hCG diet itself, recommends severe and drastic calorie reduction, to 500 calories per day combined with hCG administration. This is a recipe for disaster and will set anyone up who is trying to lose weight for failure. Severely restricting calories will inevitable slow metabolism and is not sustainable in the long run.
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hCG Risks And Side Effects
When used as indicated or appropriately as prescribed by a physician, hCG is safe and efficacious for indicated use.
Kaiser Permanente advises to stop using HCG and get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have any of these signs of a blood clot: pain, warmth, redness, numbness, or tingling in your arm or leg; confusion, extreme dizziness, or severe headache.
Some women using this medicine have developed a condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), especially after the first treatment cycle. OHSS can be a life-threatening condition. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms of OHSS:
- severe pelvic pain;
- swelling of the hands or legs;
- stomach pain and swelling;
- shortness of breath;
- weight gain;
- diarrhea;
- nausea or vomiting; or
- urinating less than normal.
For specific instructions on how to administer hCG you Kaiser Permanente instructions here
2ml of sterile water should be mixed with hCG powder, gently rotated then drawn. For specific instructions, please visit KPs Reconstitution and Administration of 5,000 units of HCG instructions here
What Is hCG: Takeaway
hCG has been shown to help infertility as well as improve testosterone levels. If you’re looking for a viable option to increase testosterone some physicians believe that using testosterone along with hCG may help improve symptoms of testosterone deficiency while preventing some of testosterone’s side effects. Of course, please be sure to consult your physician before using hCG or any derivatives.
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