Gonadotropin
Showing 1–12 of 62 results
Showing 1–12 of 62 results
What hCG does that a SERM cannot
hCG bodybuilding use rests on one property: it mimics luteinising hormone and stimulates the testes directly. Every other recovery compound acts on the brain and relies on the testes still responding. After prolonged suppression that assumption fails, and this is the only category here that addresses it. The section carries 62 lines from £22 to £464, clustered near £62.
Two separate failure points
| Failure point | What has happened | What addresses it |
|---|---|---|
| Signalling | Hypothalamus and pituitary not producing LH and FSH | SERMs — tamoxifen, clomiphene |
| Response | Testes atrophied and slow to respond even when signalled | hCG |
Treating recovery as one problem is why protocols fail. A SERM restores the signal; if nothing is listening, that achieves little on its own.
Timing is the whole thing
Critically, hCG is used before the SERM phase, not alongside it. The reasoning: it restores testicular responsiveness but suppresses the brain’s own signalling further, because the testes are producing testosterone and the hypothalamus reads that as no need to signal. Run it into your SERM phase and you are working against yourself.
The sequence that makes sense is hCG while the compound clears or immediately after, then stop, then the SERM phase. Running both together is the commonest error in this category — set out in hCG during and after a cycle.
Low-dose use during a cycle
Some run small doses throughout a longer cycle to prevent atrophy rather than reverse it. The logic holds — keeping the testes partly active avoids the deconditioning that makes recovery slow. Two cautions: hCG increases intratesticular aromatase activity and can raise oestradiol noticeably, and it does not prevent shutdown of the brain’s signalling, so it is not a substitute for post cycle therapy.
Where it goes wrong
Too much desensitises the receptor, which is the opposite of the goal — this is a compound where restraint produces the better outcome. Too long suppresses the axis it is meant to help recover. And used alone as a complete protocol it fails, because it never restarts the brain, so function commonly collapses again when it stops.
It arrives as lyophilised powder requiring reconstitution with bacteriostatic water, refrigerated afterwards and degrading over weeks — so mix only what will be used rather than the whole vial. The bacteriostatic water needed for that sits in the peptides section alongside the other consumables. Ultima Pharmaceuticals, Intex Pharma and Euro Pharmacies carry the deepest ranges, listed as hCG, HCG, Gonadotropin, Pregnyl and Ovitrelle at 2,000 to 5,000 IU. The £22 to £464 spread reflects IU count and presentation rather than quality tiers, so compare on cost per thousand IU rather than per vial.
What to measure
Total testosterone, LH, FSH and oestradiol. hCG makes testosterone look acceptable while LH stays flat — which is exactly the situation you need to detect, because it means the axis has not recovered and stopping will reveal that. Testosterone alone is actively misleading here in a way it is not with most other compounds.
The oestradiol reading matters too, since hCG raises intratesticular aromatase activity and can push oestrogen up noticeably even at modest doses.
Frequently asked questions
What does hCG do for bodybuilding?
It mimics LH and stimulates the testes directly, which restores testicular size and responsiveness after suppression — something SERMs cannot do.
Is hCG better than TRT?
They are different objectives. hCG stimulates your own production; testosterone replacement supplies hormone externally and suppresses production further.
Does hCG work like steroids?
No. It is a hormone that signals the testes rather than an androgen acting on tissue. The testosterone it produces is your own.
Can hCG replace PCT?
No. It does not restart the brain’s signalling, so function often collapses again when it stops. It complements a SERM protocol.
Should hCG be used during or after a cycle?
Either, but not into the SERM phase. Low-dose on cycle prevents atrophy; a short course before PCT restores responsiveness.
