HCG vs Gonadorelin

HCG

Human chorionic gonadotropin. A placental hormone that mimics LH and tells the testes to keep making testosterone and sperm. The most clinically established HPG-axis tool in this catalogue.

Best for

Best when you want a robust, longer-acting stimulus straight at the testes for fertility or on-TRT support.

Gonadorelin

Synthetic GnRH. The pulsatile signal from the hypothalamus that tells the pituitary to release LH and FSH. The upstream lever in the HPG axis.

Best for

Best when you want a more physiologic, upstream pulse. But it demands precise pulsatile dosing to work.

HCG

HCG is FDA-approved for male hypogonadism and ovulation induction, with decades of clinical use and a deep literature on dosing, fertility outcomes, and TRT-adjunct protocols. The 2013 review (Coviello et al. and others) consolidated the use case for HCG monotherapy and combined HCG+testosterone protocols. This is one of the few entries in this catalogue where the regulatory framework and the off-label community use largely overlap.

Gonadorelin

Gonadorelin (synthetic GnRH) is FDA-approved for diagnostic use (GnRH stimulation test) and historically for pulsatile fertility treatment via portable pumps. The 1986 literature established the pulsatile dosing requirement. As a self-administered TRT-adjunct or PCT tool, the use case is essentially off-label extrapolation from the fertility-pump literature. Real-world experience is wide but formal trials in the wellness/optimisation context are absent.