HCG Dosage Chart: Label Doses, Men's TRT Doses and Vial Math

An HCG dosage chart is only useful if it keeps three different things apart: the doses on the FDA label, the lower doses men use alongside testosterone, and the small daily doses from the HCG diet. Most pages blur them together. This one lays them side by side, adds the reconstitution math for a 5,000 IU vial, and shows what Reddit users say they take, flagged as anecdote.

HCG dosage chart: label, studies, Reddit and diet

HCG is dosed in international units (IU), not milligrams. IU measure biological activity, so a vial labeled 5,000 IU tells you nothing about weight. US labels use "USP units", which are set to match IU, so the two can be read as the same number. The chart below puts every dose context on one page.

Only the first three rows are approved uses. For the compound itself, see our HCG overview.

Label doses: what FDA-approved HCG says

The Novarel prescribing information (Ferring, revised 05/2023) lists the regimens "advocated by various authorities" and says the dosage depends on the indication, the age and weight of the patient, and the physician's preference. The route is intramuscular only.

Prepubertal cryptorchidism not due to an anatomical obstruction. The label lists four schedules: 4,000 USP units three times weekly for three weeks; 5,000 units every second day for four injections; 15 injections of 500 to 1,000 units over six weeks; or 500 units three times weekly for four to six weeks. If a course fails, another is tried a month later at 1,000 units per injection.

Selected cases of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in males. Either 500 to 1,000 units three times a week for three weeks, then the same dose twice a week for three weeks, or 4,000 units three times weekly for six to nine months, after which the dose may drop to 2,000 units three times weekly for another three months.

Ovulation induction. For an anovulatory, infertile woman who has been pretreated with human menotropins, 5,000 to 10,000 USP units one day after the last menotropin dose, with 10,000 recommended in the menotropin labeling. This is one injection timed by a fertility clinic, not a schedule anyone follows at home.

Notice what is absent. The label has no "maintain testicle size on testosterone" indication and no weight loss indication. Both are off-label uses.

HCG doses for men on testosterone: what was studied

This is the use most readers searching for a dose chart have in mind. The best dose-finding data comes from a randomized study of 29 healthy men (Coviello et al., 2005, PMID 15713727). All received 200 mg testosterone enanthate weekly, plus placebo or 125, 250 or 500 IU of HCG every other day for three weeks. Intratesticular testosterone fell 94 percent on placebo. After treatment it was 25 percent below baseline at 125 IU, 7 percent below at 250 IU, and 26 percent above baseline at 500 IU. The authors concluded that relatively low-dose HCG keeps intratesticular testosterone in the normal range. The limits: three weeks, healthy volunteers, a hormone marker rather than sperm counts.

A later retrospective review looked at sperm directly (Hsieh et al., J Urol 2013, PMID 23260550). It followed 26 hypogonadal men on testosterone plus 500 IU of HCG every other day, with a mean follow-up of 6.2 months. Semen parameters showed no differences during more than a year of follow-up, and no patient became azoospermic. It was small and retrospective.

Together these support 250 to 500 IU every other day, which works out to roughly 875 to 1,750 IU a week. Many clinics prescribe less often, and that is where the Reddit numbers come in.

HCG diet doses: why this is a separate chart

The original HCG diet paired about 500 calories a day with 125 IU of HCG daily by injection. That is much smaller than any label dose, and the controlled trial we checked found it did nothing. In it, six hospitalized women got 125 IU intramuscularly each day for 30 days and five got diluent only, all on 500-calorie diets. Weight loss was nearly identical, and the authors concluded HCG "offers no advantage over calorie restriction" (Shetty and Kalkhoff, 1977, PMID 836112). A meta-analysis of 24 trials found most were of poor quality and no scientific evidence that HCG works for obesity (Lijesen et al., 1995, PMID 8527285).

The Novarel label says the same: HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in obesity. The FDA states that no HCG product is approved for weight loss. Over-the-counter "homeopathic" HCG drops and sprays are unapproved, so there is no dose to chart here. Our HCG diet page covers the protocol and the trials.

Reconstitution math for a 5,000 IU vial

Mixing does not change how much HCG is in the vial. It changes the concentration, and therefore how far you draw the plunger. Three lines do all the work:

1. Concentration (IU per mL) = vial IU divided by mL of water added.
2. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 unit = 0.01 mL, so IU per unit = concentration divided by 100.
3. Units to draw = dose in IU divided by IU per unit.

Worked example. A 5,000 IU vial plus 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives 2,500 IU per mL. One syringe unit (0.01 mL) then carries 25 IU. A 250 IU dose is 10 units and a 500 IU dose is 20 units. If you instead add 5 mL, the concentration halves to 1,000 IU per mL, 1 unit carries 10 IU, and the same 250 IU dose is 25 units. The table shows the common volumes.

How doses scale by vial size. A 10,000 IU vial doubles every figure for the same water volume. With the 10 mL of bacteriostatic water that comes in a Novarel or Pregnyl kit, a 10,000 IU vial is 1,000 IU per mL, so 500 IU is 0.5 mL or 50 units. A 5,000 IU vial in the same 10 mL is 500 IU per mL, and 500 IU is a full 1 mL.

The "units" trap. In the r/Testosterone threads about mixing, the most common confusion was that "units" means two things: IU of HCG and the 0.01 mL marks on an insulin syringe. A commenter in one thread explained it well, and another said "dilute with 4mL of bac and inject 10 units twice a week" for a 500 IU weekly total. That works for a 10,000 IU vial (2,500 IU per mL, so 10 units is 250 IU) and is wrong for a 5,000 IU vial. Always do the division with your own vial size.

Vial life and waste. At 500 IU a week (250 IU twice weekly), a 5,000 IU vial holds 10 weeks of doses, but the Novarel label says to refrigerate the mixed vial at 2 to 8 degrees C and use it within 30 days. Over 30 days that dose uses roughly 2,100 IU, so more than half the vial is past its labeled date. Other labels give different windows; our reconstitution guide covers diluents and storage. One poster who was prescribed 25 units twice weekly from a 12,000 IU vial mixed in 6 mL calculated, correctly, 1,000 IU a week, and asked whether the leftover would be wasted.

What Reddit users report

We read 280 scraped Reddit items from 24 threads. Most were r/Testosterone threads about HCG dosing. One unrelated thread (82 items, r/TrueOffMyChest) was noise and one post was a vendor review, so both were excluded, and two more posts (an Indian fertility forum cross-post and a wellness post) had no body text. That left 22 men who described a dose they take or were prescribed, all from r/Testosterone. It is a small, self-selected, unverified sample, and everyone is in a testosterone-therapy context. There is nothing here about women, cryptorchidism or the diet.

The pattern: twelve of the 22 injected twice a week, four every other day, two daily, one three times a week and one once a week; two did not say. Typical per-injection doses were 250 or 500 IU. The median weekly total was about 750 IU, which sits close to the study doses above. A common view in the replies was that 500 to 1,000 IU a week is a normal amount to preserve fertility alongside testosterone. As one commenter put it: "500-1000iu is considered a normal dose to maintain fertility in men taking exogenous testosterone." (a r/Testosterone commenter, Aug 2026)

Timing and spacing. One user put HCG and testosterone on different days so estradiol did not climb together. Another moved from twice weekly to every other day and could not tell the difference.

Dose and testicle size. Reports disagreed. One man said 140 IU every other day did not hold testicular size, while 200 IU every other day did about 90 percent, which he equated to 100 IU daily. Another, on 250 IU twice weekly with 150 mg of testosterone, still saw shrinkage at week seven. A man who tried a range of schedules over six years settled on 350 IU twice a week: "...350 x 2 for me is enough to get everything similar to natty - without too much e2 overflow." (a r/Testosterone commenter, Sep 2026) He reported that 100 to 125 IU daily gave him estradiol rise but no other effect.

Estradiol. Six of the 22 mentioned raised estradiol or an aromatase inhibitor in connection with their HCG dose. The usual reply was to check bloodwork and consider lowering the dose before adding drugs; our HCG side effects page covers that.

Desensitization. Commenters disagreed sharply. One wrote "Desensitization has been demonstrated precisely zero times by anyone..." (a r/Testosterone commenter, Feb 2026), while another said one or two studies in prepubescent boys suggested it. We did not verify either claim.

Outliers and a dose-alarm thread. The highest figure in the dose chart was one man reporting 500 IU daily, about 3,500 IU a week, who said it was well tolerated. That is one unverified account, not evidence of safety. A far larger fuss surrounded a poster in India who had been prescribed 5,000 IU weekly with 1 mg of anastrozole nightly, 10 mg of tamoxifen on alternate mornings and 10 mg of tadalafil. Of 40 replies, 11 called the dose or the combination too high, several suggested a second opinion, and a few said high doses are used for short fertility courses. One user who mis-mixed a vial and injected roughly 4,000 to 4,500 IU a week for two weeks reported acne and puffy nipples. Another claimed 13 years on 5,000 IU every five days without trouble; again, one claim. None of these is a target.

Onset. Few people answered how long effects took. One said "a good 3 to 4 weeks", and one reported feeling something after the first injection, which they themselves called possible placebo. Semen results were rare. One fertility-focused man on 1,600 IU twice weekly plus 75 IU of HMG reported his count falling from 118 million per mL to 4 million and asked why; that dose is far above the studied range, and the post is a single unverified account.

Vial life. On how long a mixed vial lasts, opinions split. Four people said they used theirs for 60 to 90 days or until empty; four said to discard at 28 days or that potency drops fast. The label says 30 days. This is a sterility and potency question for a pharmacist, not a poll.

What changes the dose

Several things move the number, and a prescriber weighs them together.

• The goal. Testicular maintenance, sperm restoration and an ovulation trigger are different jobs with different doses, as the chart shows.
• Your testosterone dose. HCG makes the testes produce more testosterone locally, so men on both often need the testosterone dose reviewed. Some Reddit users said they lowered theirs.
• Estradiol response. Aromatase activity differs between men. A dose that is fine for one person raises estradiol in another. Labs, not guesswork, show which one you are.
• Frequency. HCG stays active for roughly 24 to 36 hours, which is why schedules cluster at every other day or two to three times a week rather than daily.
• Fertility plans. Men trying to conceive are sometimes given higher doses or HCG plus FSH or HMG, a specialist decision.
• Product and storage. An under-dosed or heat-damaged vial changes the real dose. Two commenters raised potency loss or under-dosed overseas product as a concern.

Timing, duration and monitoring

Published schedules are measured in weeks to months, not days. Coviello ran three weeks; Hsieh followed men for months. On the label, the hypogonadism courses run six weeks or, at the higher dose, six to nine months plus three more, and cryptorchidism courses run one to six weeks. Men using it with testosterone generally continue for as long as they want the testes kept active.

Reddit users mostly described waiting weeks for effects and getting labs about every three months, with earlier checks after a dose change. Bloodwork usually covers total and free testosterone, estradiol and hematocrit; the label also warns that HCG can cross-react in assays for LH and other gonadotropins, so tell the lab you use it.

Where HCG is legally obtained

HCG is a prescription drug in the US. It is obtained from a licensed clinician and a pharmacy. In March 2020 the FDA moved HCG into the biologics category, which ended most routine compounding of it (FDA notice to compounders). Vials sold as "research" material carry no medical oversight and no one is accountable for their content, which is why this page links to no seller. See where to buy HCG for the legal routes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the usual HCG dosage?

There is no single dose. On the label it ranges from 500 units per injection in some cryptorchidism and hypogonadism schedules to 5,000 to 10,000 units as a one-time fertility trigger. Men using HCG with testosterone are studied at 125 to 500 IU every other day, and 22 Reddit commenters named a median of about 750 IU a week.

What is the HCG dosage for men on TRT?

It is off-label. Studies used 250 to 500 IU every other day; many Reddit users report 250 to 500 IU two or three times a week. A prescriber sets the dose from labs and goals.

How much water do I mix with a 5,000 IU vial?

Any amount works; it only changes the concentration. With 2 mL, each syringe unit holds 25 IU, so 250 IU is 10 units. With 5 mL, each unit holds 10 IU, so 250 IU is 25 units. The label's table pairs 10 mL with 500 IU per mL for a 5,000 IU vial.

How many units is 500 IU of HCG?

It depends on the concentration. At 1,000 IU per mL it is 50 units (0.5 mL); at 2,500 IU per mL it is 20 units; at 500 IU per mL it is 100 units (1 mL). Divide the dose by the IU per unit for your own vial.

What is the HCG diet dose, and does it work?

The original protocol used 125 IU a day with a 500-calorie diet. The controlled trial found weight loss nearly identical to placebo, and the FDA says no HCG product is approved for weight loss.

Can HCG be taken without a prescription?

No. In the US, approved HCG is a prescription injectable. Over-the-counter homeopathic HCG weight loss products are unapproved.