Carl read the papersWhat it actually is
HMG is a gonadotrophin preparation, not a synthetic peptide. Each vial of the common presentation holds 75 IU of FSH activity and 75 IU of LH activity, extracted from postmenopausal urine and purified. The UK insert states that hCG from the urine of pregnant women may be added to reach the required total LH activity, and the US label says hCG is detected in the product.
It is dosed in international units rather than milligrams, because it is standardised by biological activity. The US label's potency is set by rat bioassays for FSH and LH. Registered uses are fertility ones: follicle development in assisted reproduction in women, and, on the UK insert, stimulation of sperm production in men with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, given with hCG.
How it’s thought to work
- FSH activity — Acts on Sertoli cells in men and granulosa cells in women, which is the part of the signal that exogenous testosterone and hCG do not replace.
- LH activity — Acts on Leydig cells and theca cells, the same receptor hCG hits, which is why hCG and hMG overlap on one side and not the other.
- Two-step in men — The UK insert runs hCG first to raise intratesticular androgens, then adds menotrophin for the FSH signal that sperm production needs.
- Slow clearance — FSH elimination half-life in the multiple-dose phase was 11 to 13 hours by either subcutaneous or intramuscular route, so it is dosed daily or every few days, not hourly.
What the research says
This is established medicine rather than research chemistry. A meta-analysis of gonadotrophin therapy in men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and azoospermia pooled 44 studies and found an overall success rate of 75% for producing sperm, with a mean concentration of 5.92 million/mL, better in men whose hypogonadism started after puberty, and notably unaffected by previous testosterone use. An older series of 42 men treated with hCG plus hMG or with pulsatile GnRH induced sperm in 54 of 57 treatment courses, with pregnancies in 26 of 36, and testicular volume doubled within 5 to 12 months. For women, the US approval rests on IVF and ICSI trials behind the registered label, where 23% of 373 women had a continuing pregnancy in one cycle.
- Registered prescription medicine, including in South Africa, not a grey-market compound.
- 75 IU FSH plus 75 IU LH per vial in the standard presentation; dosed in IU, with potency set by bioassay.
- Pooled success rate of 75% for inducing spermatogenesis with gonadotrophin therapy in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, across 44 studies.
- Prior testosterone replacement did not reduce the success rate in that meta-analysis.
- Main risk in women is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, reported in 27 of 434 women (6.2%) in the US label's IVF and ICSI trials.
Reported protocols
These are the doses the peptide community actually reports running (Reddit & forums), alongside published research — logged for education, not as a recommendation to use.
| Parameter | Commonly reported range |
|---|---|
| Label dose (women, ART) | US label: 225 IU daily subcutaneous to start in women down-regulated with a GnRH agonist, first adjustment after 5 days and no more than 150 IU per adjustment, never above 450 IU/day, and therapy not beyond 20 days |
| Label dose (men, UK insert) | hCG 1,000 to 2,000 IU two or three times a week first, then menotrophin at 75 or 150 IU FSH with 75 or 150 IU LH two or three times weekly, continued for at least 3 or 4 months |
| Route | Subcutaneous on the US label, into the abdomen; the UK insert allows intramuscular or subcutaneous |
| Reconstitution | With the solvent supplied, used immediately, any remainder discarded. That is a real difference from research peptides that sit in a fridge for a month |
| Community dose | One public forum log reports 75 IU twice weekly alongside hCG 500 IU three times weekly while off testosterone for fertility, which is in the region of the UK male dose |
| Carl's note | The consistent theme in fertility threads is patience and semen analyses: sperm production takes months, and the insert itself says at least 3 or 4 months before judging it. |
Common use cases
| Goal | Community protocol notes |
|---|---|
| Male fertility with hCG | the UK insert's male indication: hCG first, menotrophin added for the FSH side, at least 3 or 4 months |
| Restarting after testosterone | where the FSH half matters, and where the meta-analysis says previous TRT did not spoil the odds |
| IVF and ovulation induction | the main registered use, always with monitoring for ovarian hyperstimulation |
Mixing it (reconstitution)
Freeze-dried peptides must be reconstituted with bacteriostatic water before they can be measured. Carl’s calculator turns “mg in the vial + ml of water + target dose” into “units on the syringe” — and tells you how long the vial lasts.
→ Open the Reconstitution Calculator
Injection & handling
This is a prescription medicine with a package insert, so the handling rules come from the insert rather than from a forum. It is a powder supplied with its own solvent ampoule, reconstituted gently because it is a protein, then used straight away with anything left over discarded, which is the opposite of normal research-peptide handling. The UK insert allows up to three vials of powder to be dissolved in 1 mL of solvent to keep the injection volume small, and says not to use the solution if it is cloudy or has particles in it. Unopened powder is stored below 25 degrees, protected from light, not frozen. The sane version of using it involves a doctor, bloods and, in men, semen analyses, because the things it changes are not things you can feel.
Stacks it appears in
- With HCG — The combination the UK insert actually describes in men. HCG supplies the LH signal, menotrophin adds the FSH signal, and hCG goes first.
- Against gonadorelin — Gonadorelin drives the pituitary to make both hormones itself. HMG skips that and supplies them directly, which works even when the pituitary does not.
Sources
- DailyMed / FDA label: MENOPUR (menotropins for injection), Ferring, SPL set id 22c8db95-c3db-1770-8086-31356fbabe35
- UK SmPC: Menopur 75 IU powder and solvent for solution for injection (emc, text revised 03 June 2026)
- SAHPRA registered health products register: Menopur entries, Ferring (Pty) Ltd
- Rastrelli G et al. Factors affecting spermatogenesis upon gonadotropin-replacement therapy: a meta-analytic study. Andrology 2014 (PMID 25271205)
- Büchter D et al. Pulsatile GnRH or hCG/hMG as effective treatment for men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: a review of 42 cases. Eur J Endocrinol 1998 (PMID 9758439)
- Isa AM, Abu-Rafea B et al. Ovarian stimulation medications and patients' responses as prognostic factors in IUI-treated infertile patients. Iran J Reprod Med 2014 (PMID 25114672)
- WADA 2026 Prohibited List, S2.2.1 (chorionic gonadotrophin and luteinizing hormone in males)
- T-Nation forum thread: Microdosing HCG and Menopur (hMG), March 2022
