How long does hCG affect T?

[James23]

What is our current understanding of hCG monotheraphy?

I have found information saying that serum testosterone levels increase 2hr. after hCG adminstration and then increase again 2-3 days later.

I have found one study to support this, but the study is on bulls. Testosterone levels were elevated for 4 days after an hCG injection. Is this true for humans?

Here is the study:

http://www.reproduction-online.org/content/45/2/249.full.pdf


Finally, do we have any idea what the average response to hCG might be? For example: "250 IU every other day tends to increase T by 500ng/dl."

 

[James23]

Failing that, does anyone have any anecdotal reports of what a certain dosage of hCG did to their testosterone level?

I currently have no idea of 500 IU every other day is keeping T in the midrange or sending it into the stratosphere.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

https://thinksteroids.com/community/posts/728507

https://thinksteroids.com/community/posts/695687

https://thinksteroids.com/community/posts/755223

https://thinksteroids.com/community/posts/695687


Gries JM, Munafo A, Porchet HC, Verotta D. Down-regulation models and modeling of testosterone production induced by recombinant human choriogonadotropin. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1999;289(1):371-7. Down-Regulation Models and Modeling of Testosterone Production Induced by Recombinant Human Choriogonadotropin

Chorionic gonadotropin (CG) is a glycoprotein hormone, whose action is mediated by the luteinizing hormone/CG receptor. Testosterone concentrations from six pituitary-desensitized, healthy male volunteers were obtained after four different administrations of recombinant-human CG (rhCG). We present a modeling study to provide a possible explanation for the observations that increased exposure to rhCG induces higher and then lower testosterone concentrations and that marked rebound effects are observed at the end of repeated administration of rhCG. We used semimechanistic models (in which flexible functions represent unknown parts of the models) to identify the relationship of rhCG concentrations to the testosterone levels. Based on the results obtained with the semimechanistic models, different mechanistic down-regulation models were devised and tested. The final model uses a one-compartment model to describe the endogenous production rate of testosterone; rhCG affects the production rate with a mechanism consistent with a two-site binding site, with effect proportional to one-site bound concentration. The modeling results indicate that when rhCG concentration increases, the testosterone production rate increases to 45 times the baseline value. However, at an rhCG concentration of more than about 30 IU/liter, the production rate decreases. Simulations showed that both dose and dosing interval profoundly influence testosterone response to rhCG.

 

[James23]

This is an intersting study, but they're still using nonsensical dosages.

For those who don't want to read, they tried 2,500 UI via fthree different routes: subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous.

For the non-subcutaneous, they administered 2,500 IU every other day.

The single dose lasted 8 days with a peak at day 4 of 856 ng/dL.

The every other day dose peaked at around 1154 ng/dL at day 14 Even though the dosing only lasted 10 days, the testosterone levels did not drop fully until after day 16.

Don't we have any similar studies on realistic TRT dosages of 250/500 IU per day?

 

[James23]

This is an intersting study, but they're still using nonsensical dosages. For those who don't want to read, they tried 2,500 UI via fthree different routes: subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous. For the non-subcutaneous, they administered 2,500 IU every other day.

The single dose lasted 8 days with a peak at day 4 of 856 ng/dL. The every other day dose peaked at around 1154 ng/dL at day 14 Even though the dosing only lasted 10 days, the testosterone levels did not drop fully until after day 16.

Don't we have any similar studies on realistic TRT dosages of 250/500 IU per day?

Broscience claims that hCG should be administered at night or because it takes 6 hours for hCG to peak, but they are talking about hCG serum concentration and not the effect of hCG on testosterone levels, which do not behave the way we thought they did.