As we get older, we face a drop in our sex hormones. In women, this represents the lowering of progesterone and then estrogen towards menopause. For men, it is a lower amount of testosterone.
When we need to replace testosterone, we have a few considerations. The first is whether we directly give testosterone, or whether we give the hormone that the body uses to tell the testicles to make testosterone. This is often an easier way to ‘stimulate’ the recovery or enhanced function of the testicles.
Men who need to take testosterone face an important problem; taking testosterone from outside the body will ‘switch off’ your own hormone production system. Younger men who have not yet had children will want to preserve their own testicular function if they need to take testosterone replacement therapy.
HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, is the main way of doing this. HCG mimics Luteinising Hormone, one of the hormones that the brain sends to the testicles to tell it to make testosterone and to a lesser degree, sperm.
Taken twice per week alongside Testosterone Replacement Therapy, HCG can help preserve the function of the testicles. This can be done for about a year, by which stage a break from testosterone is recommended and monitoring of sperm production using semen testing.
Some men will opt not to have testosterone replacement therapy and instead just try HCG. This will give a modest improvement in testosterone in most men.
Further, HCG is also used for weight loss as well as egg stimulation prior to IVF in women.
HCG should not be confused with HGH, which is the acronym for Human Growth Hormone.
You can read about relevant health topics by clicking the articles below:
- Testosterone Replacement Therapy
- Estrogen and Progesterone Balance
HCG for hormone therapy:
HCG is the acronym for human chorionic Gonadotropin, which is considered the female pregnancy hormone. HCG is used to stimulate egg production in women, typically for IVF and off label in males to maximize natural intra-testicular production of testosterone.
In men, it serves as an alternative to testosterone therapy to help boost testosterone levels whilst maintaining fertility. On certain occasions, the doctor can prescribe it in conjunction with Testosterone products to avoid hypofunction of the testicles during testosterone therapy.
HCG may also help improve sexual function in men who don’t experience improvement on testosterone therapy. Sometimes HCG is used to help reverse the side effects steroid use causes, such as gonad shrinkage and infertility. In men, HCG acts like Luteinizing Hormone (LH). LH stimulates the production of sperm. As HCG stimulates the testicles to produce testosterone and sperm, the testicles grow in size over time.
HCG is also used in Australia for weight loss.
The most common side-effects of HCG injection include:
- Gynaecomastia or the growth of male breasts.
- Pain, redness and swelling at the injection site.
Preparing the injection:
HCG comes as a liquid or a powder that’s ready to mix. Depending on the brand.
The medication needs to be stored in the fridge.
If the HCG comes in powder form, you need to mix it with the vial of sterile water that comes with it to prepare it.
Pull the sterile water from the vial into a syringe and squirt it into the vial containing the powder.
Mix by gently rolling the vial around slowly.
What doses are used?
For HCG stimulation shot = 5000 IU (International Units)
The stimulation shot is given once, to see how the body is responding to the medication. The Total Testosterone level needs to double at least. The “total testosterone level” will be checked 5 days after being given the stimulation shot. Your doctor will decide if you are eligible for the HCG hormone therapy.
For ongoing gonadal support, HCG doses of 500 IU are given twice a week ongoing. If a man has used considerable amounts of testosterone for a long time, this may be
How to give the injection?
Draw the mixed fluid back into the syringe (see above) and point it upward. Gently flick it until all the air bubbles collect on top and then push the plunger a little bit until the air bubbles are gone.
Where to inject HCG?
Subcutaneous (SC) sites:
HCG is usually injected subcutaneously, into the layer of fat just under the skin and above your muscles. The injection is fairly painless. Best subcutaneous sites are the lower abdomen and front of thigh. You will be shown how to do the injection by trained healthcare staff.
The lower abdomen is a common injection site for HCG. It’s an easy site to inject because there’s usually more subcutaneous fat in this area. Stick to the semi-circle area below your belly button and above your pubic region. Be sure to stay at least one inch away from your belly button.
The outer thigh is another popular HCG injection site because usually there’s more fat there then other parts of the body. This makes a SC injection easier and less painful.
