HCG Info & Usage

[Diesel250]

This little article is from Muscletalk, by Bigfella:

HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin and is not a steroid, but a natural peptide hormone which develops in the placenta of pregnant women during pregnancy to controls the mother's hormones. (Incidentally, this is the reason you may hear of people testing for growth hormone (HGH) with a pregnancy testing kit - If their HGH shows 'pregnant', they've been ripped-off with cheaper HCG - but we digress slightly).

Its action in the male body is like that of LH, stimulating the Leydig cells in the testes to produce testosterone even in the absence of endogenous LH. HCG is therefore used during longer or heavier steroid cycles to maintain testicular size and condition, or to bring atrophied (shrunken) testicles back up to their original condition in preparation for post-cycle Clomid therapy. This process is necessary because atrophied testicles produce reduced levels of natural testosterone, this situation should be rectified prior to post-cycle Clomid therapy.

HCG administration post-cycle is common practice among bodybuilders in the belief that it will aid the natural testosterone recovery, but this theory is unfounded and also counterproductive. The rapid rise in both testosterone, and thus oestrogen due to aromatisation, from the administration of HCG causes further inhibition of the HPTA (Hypothalamic/Pituitary/Testicular Axis - feedback loop discussed above); this actually worsens the recovery situation. HCG does not restore the natural testosterone production.

The typically observed dosing of 2000 to 5000IU every 4 to 5 days causes such an increase in oestrogen levels via aromatisation of the natural testosterone that this has been responsible for many cases of gynecomastia.

From the above discussion it is clear that HCG is best used during a cycle, either to:

1) Avoid testicular atrophy, or
2) Rectify the problem of an existing testicular atrophy.

Doses of HCG
Smaller doses, more frequently during a cycle will give best overall results with least unwanted side effects. Somewhere between 500iu and 1000iu per day would be best over about a two-week period. These doses are sufficient to avoid/rectify testicular atrophy without increasing oestrogen levels too dramatically and risking gynecomastia. This dosing schedule also avoids the risk of permanently down-regulating the LH receptors in the testes.

xcel

Only over a 2 week period?
What if your cycle is 16 weeks long, how would you add it in?

 

[STEEDA69]

Anybody know what the Active Half Life (T1/2) Og HCG might be! Thanks!
JD~

 

[gatorfreak]

i read on another board that you can freeze your hcg once you have made it up & just get it out when required.
I froze all mine in the syringe in lots of 250ius & just get one out each mon & thurs.
Im doing hcg during my course for the first time at 250ius 2x/wk for 8 wks.

There is nothing wrong with this, I know a lot of guys doing this.

 

[angel]

I thought Pergonal and HCg were the same

Arn't these two the same thing?

ANGEL

 

[6.8SPC]

Arn't these two the same thing?

ANGEL

Pergonal is HMG, Pregnyl is HCG.

 

[sizeon]

is it nescarry to add the extra bac water, can you just work with the 1 ml, or does it just make it easier

 

[hellraiser27]

is it nescarry to add the extra bac water, can you just work with the 1 ml, or does it just make it easier

It just makes it easier to split it up. I draw it all up in a regular steroid syringe.
1ml. And I keep that in the fridge. I just add a new needle each time I use it.
I don't add bac water to it. Results have varied.

 

[rocco-x]

so what you're saying is if one is concerned about their HPTA then the proper protocol is 250i.u. 2-3x per week for duration of the cycle up until week before last shot of aas?using arimidex in small doses thruout cycle and 2wks after last shot of aas start pct as normal with nolva and clomid?i'm sorry i'm a bit slow on this.i read so much info from the boards and from books that its hard for me to form an answer on my own.thats why i love these forums.i'm thinking about doing a 10-12wk cycle with sust250 and deca.can anyone give me advice on how hcg would be ran with something like this and how a cycle like this would look?thnx again guys for your help.sorry for askin firstgrade questions.

 

[bigduff]

bump

 

[Gunsmith]

Bump

 

[Actin]

Hey do you guys still recomend running HCG @ 250-500 iu's 2x a week the entire cycle?

 

[big-O]

good info thanks

 

[hemipower]

Hey do you guys still recomend running HCG @ 250-500 iu's 2x a week the entire cycle?

Absolutely. I say 250iu 3x a week is best. I realize this is a "low" dose but I would prefer to take the LEAST that gives me the desired result and keep negative sides low than take 2-3 times that and have a ton of negative sides.
Alternatively 500iu 2x a week is fine as well. Each individual is different.
If you allow yourself to shutdown then want to do this then the slightly higher dose may be necessary. If starting this from the beginning of the cycle then the lower dosage should be fine. I felt that 250iu 2x a week was a BIT low but has some positive effect...250x3 was best I felt on least dose...

 

[rongo]

Absolutely. I say 250iu 3x a week is best. I realize this is a "low" dose but I would prefer to take the LEAST that gives me the desired result and keep negative sides low than take 2-3 times that and have a ton of negative sides.
Alternatively 500iu 2x a week is fine as well. Each individual is different.
If you allow yourself to shutdown then want to do this then the slightly higher dose may be necessary. If starting this from the beginning of the cycle then the lower dosage should be fine. I felt that 250iu 2x a week was a BIT low but has some positive effect...250x3 was best I felt on least dose...

Good advice here!

 

[hemipower]

Good advice here!

Thanks, lots of trial and error prior to finding that...
My doc wants me on 500iu 2x a wk...I feel like a little less is better and more often applications.
I am supposed to do 1.5mL test cyp or enanth (300mg) on Monday, and then Sat and Sun do 500iu of HCG each day. This worked good...
But what works GREAT is 1mL test 2x a wk and 250iu hcg 3x a wk.
AI wise I like arimidex (again LOW dose - 1/4mg 3x a wk or 1/2mg 2x a wk) but am making the swap to exemestane (half dose ED or 12.5mg) after reading a few pages on here from RS...

 

[j-bol]

great read... lots of good info wish i knew some of this years ago. i never did the blast of 2000iu.. but i used to start the week of my last shot and continue for a couple weeks at 500iu. than clomid.. is this an ok protocol.. currently im at week 7 of a 12wk cycle of 500mg test 40mg dbol and im throwing in var for the last 5 weeks.. should i just start hcg now and get my balls goin while i still have a couple weeks left or is it too late..im sure the test already supressed me.. but it sounds to me the main reason for not using hcg pct is the rise in test levels and aromitising estrogen inhibiting Lh.. so in essence if my testes are back to producing on their own while my hormones are already elevated than pct is just a regulation of the hormones there after through clomid or nolva therapy.. so is it possible to start my hcg at wk7 and have the same results as if i used it from the beginning of the cycle..

 

[hemipower]

i read on another board that you can freeze your hcg once you have made it up & just get it out when required.
I froze all mine in the syringe in lots of 250ius & just get one out each mon & thurs.
Im doing hcg during my course for the first time at 250ius 2x/wk for 8 wks.

Never heard of doing this...does it not destroy the peptide??

I have 10k bottle from the doc and it takes me about 12 wks to get thru this! So I would pull about 20 or so 250iu sticks and set em in the freezer...then use what I have left in the bottle and will be good for the duration...I understand once reconstituted it starts being significantly degraded after 60 days...and the more water you use the faster it degrades. I used 10mL foolishly to dilute 10k iu when I could have done it with 2mL and then used 5 units on the stick every time...oops. I just followed docs instructions (for once) and did what the script says...also, doc claims it will NOT go bad using 1k a week for 10 wks (so he says NOT significant degradation at that time). But here we have been saying 60 days...10 wks is 70 days so that's nearly the same...but I used 250iu 3x a wk instead of the prescribed 500iu 2x a wk - seems a bit more than I need to get it to work...so takes me a little longer to finish the bottle...
Makes sense to pull out 12-20 doses and freeze them if this is safe...

 

[rongo]

I still use hcg 1wk before and during cycle, I can feel the difference and recovery is great.

 

[PsyT]

I.found.HCG.in.very.low.doses.helps.reverse.testicular.atrophy.without.any.bit.of.estrogen.spike(which.can.get.nasty.with.large.doses...you.better.have.a.SERM.on.hand.and.ready.to.use).

My.perfect.dose.is.50IU.everyday.for.a.couple.weeks.Then.the.nuts.are.good.to.go.for.2-3.months.then.they.need.another.2.week.course.

 

[rongo]

I.found.HCG.in.very.low.doses.helps.reverse.testicular.atrophy.without.any.bit.of.estrogen.spike(which.can.get.nasty.with.large.doses...you.better.have.a.SERM.on.hand.and.ready.to.use).

My.perfect.dose.is.50IU.everyday.for.a.couple.weeks.Then.the.nuts.are.good.to.go.for.2-3.months.then.they.need.another.2.week.course.

interesting