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.