HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin)
Glycoprotein hormone that mimics luteinizing hormone at the LH/CG receptor on Leydig cells, stimulating endogenous testosterone production and maintaining intratesticular testosterone levels. Preserves testicular volume and spermatogenesis during exogenous androgen administration by bypassing hypothalamic-pituitary suppression.
Three tiers ordered by aggressiveness. Tier chips on every OPTIMIZE intervention let you filter the catalog by your evidence tolerance.
- total-testosterone
- free-testosterone
- estradiol
- lh
- fsh
- hematocrit
- prolactin
- hormone-sensitive-cancer
- precocious-puberty
- uncontrolled-thyroid-disease
- active-thromboembolism
- PMID:15713727Preservation of fertility in patients with cancer — N Engl J Med, 2005
- PMID:19051804Human chorionic gonadotropin with testosterone for hypogonadism: an efficacy and safety study — J Sex Med, 2009
- PMID:23411532The effect of HCG on intratesticular testosterone in men receiving testosterone therapy — Fertil Steril, 2013
- PMID:30056685Clomiphene citrate and hCG for fertility preservation in men on testosterone therapy — Curr Urol Rep, 2018
HCG is not a performance compound. It is an insurance policy. Every man on exogenous testosterone is making a trade — gains now, fertility later. HCG changes the terms of that trade. 250IU three times per week keeps the Leydig cells firing. Skip it and you are gambling with a system that takes months to restart. The 36-hour half-life means every-other-day dosing maintains stable LH receptor activation without desensitization.
This is not medical advice
Discuss with a licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any compound. This page documents what the research literature describes — it is not a prescription.
See HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in a protocol matched to you