HMG (Human Menopausal Gonadotropin): The Original FSH+LH Fertility Drug
HMG is a regulator-approved fertility drug supplying both FSH and LH activity. Strong human evidence, real OHSS risk, and clinician-only use.
By Research Rats Editorial TeamReviewed by Research Rats Editorial Team
Evidence profile
Assessed 2026-07-02An approved fertility drug with unusually deep human evidence (powered RCTs, meta-analyses, large cohorts); it is potent, its main serious risk is ovarian hyperstimulation, and it is not a self-directed compound.
Established gonadotropin action: supplies both FSH and LH activity to drive follicular development and steroidogenesis.
The endocrine mechanism is well established; the decisive evidence is human.
Powered randomised trials, Cochrane/network meta-analyses and real-world cohorts of tens of thousands of patients.
Strong and established for its approved fertility/endocrine uses.
Well characterised; the principal serious risk is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, with increased multiple-pregnancy risk, requiring ultrasound and hormone monitoring.
An approved, long-established prescription biological.
High; the open question is how it compares with recombinant FSH and for whom, not whether it works.
A regulator-approved prescription biological for clinician-supervised use; counterfeit or grey-market gonadotropins carry uncertain potency and contamination risk, and gonadotropins are restricted in sport.
Bars show the state of evidence, not desirability. A strong rating on any axis does not mean a compound is safe, effective, or recommended. Human evidence is often limited. Not medical advice.
What to know before reading further
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Evidence context
An approved fertility drug (menotropins) supplying both FSH and LH activity, with unusually deep human evidence — powered randomised trials, Cochrane/network meta-analyses and real-world cohorts of tens of thousands of women.
Safety snapshot
It is potent, and the principal serious risk is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (which can be severe — ascites, thromboembolism), with increased multiple-pregnancy risk. It requires ultrasound and blood-hormone monitoring and is not a self-directed compound.
Regulatory & legality
A regulator-approved prescription biological for clinician-supervised use; counterfeit or grey-market gonadotropins carry uncertain potency and contamination risk.
Where claims can exceed the evidence
The open question is how it compares with recombinant FSH and for whom — not whether it works; there is no responsible use outside a qualified prescriber and a licensed pharmacy.
This article does not provide dosing, protocol, administration, sourcing, stack, or self-experimentation guidance, or personalised medical advice. It is educational and non-prescriptive — the evidence profile describes the state of research, not an individual decision.
Overview
HMG (human menopausal gonadotropin, also called menotropins) is one of the oldest and best-evidenced hormone drugs in fertility medicine. It is not a research chemical, not a grey-market peptide, and not something you experiment with at home. It is a prescription biological that has been used in humans for over sixty years, with the first hMG-induced pregnancy reported back in 1962 [2].
What makes hMG distinctive is what is inside the vial: both follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH) activity, classically around 75 IU of each, purified from the urine of postmenopausal women [2][12]. That dual action is the whole point of the drug, and it is also why hMG has been compared head-to-head against pure recombinant FSH in some of the largest fertility trials ever run.
For an informed reader, hMG is interesting precisely because the evidence is so mature. There is little hand-waving here. The open questions are not "does it work" but "how does it compare to recombinant FSH, and for whom" — a genuinely unresolved, patient-by-patient debate.
Disclaimer. For educational and research purposes only. Not medical advice. We do not sell peptides or compounds.
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