Especially in females: bloating, rapid weight gain, severe pelvic pain, or breathlessness — ovarian hyperstimulation. In anyone: calf swelling/pain or chest pain (clot signs).
Stop and seek assessment for any hyperstimulation symptoms.
Breathlessness, chest pain, or severe abdominal distension → 911.
Allergic reaction: hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, wheezing or dizziness can escalate to anaphylaxis within minutes — call 911 immediately. Site infection: spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus or fever is not wait-and-see; an abscess or cellulitis can need drainage or IV antibiotics. Unverified product: grey-market vials are frequently mislabelled or contaminated, so a reaction may be to endotoxin or the wrong contents, not the named compound.
Produced by the placenta, hCG shares the LH receptor and effectively acts as long-acting LH — its extensive glycosylation gives it a far longer half-life than LH itself. In males it stimulates Leydig cells to produce testosterone directly, bypassing the pituitary, which is why it is used to maintain testicular function during exogenous testosterone use. In females it triggers ovulation.
Decades of established use in fertility medicine and in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. The evidence for the approved indications is solid.
FDA-approved for ovulation induction, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in males, and prepubertal cryptorchidism. Prescription-only. Note the label carries an explicit statement that hCG has no effect on fat mobilisation and is not effective for weight loss — the FDA required this after the “hCG diet”, one of the more durable frauds in this field. Prohibited in sport (WADA S2 for males).
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in females can be life-threatening. Gynaecomastia in males via aromatisation of the testosterone it induces. Thromboembolic events reported. Precocious puberty in paediatric use.
Individualised per fertility and hypogonadism protocols by a prescriber. The label explicitly states hCG is not effective for weight loss.
Reported from clinical trials or FDA labelling as a matter of record. It is not a recommendation, and for unapproved compounds no dose has been shown safe or effective in humans.
Above is what was administered in trials or on FDA labels, reported as fact. We do not convert it into a personal protocol, calculate a dose for your body weight, or tell you what to inject or how to reconstitute it — that decision belongs with a licensed physician. See our editorial policy.
Regulatory status changes. This page reflects our reading of public sources as of July 2026 and should be independently verified before it is relied upon.