How do you actually read a reconstitution protocol for HCG?

Posted by dita_h in Beginner Questions - 2 points, 4 comments.

Im starting to look into HCG because i want to keep fertility while on TRT later, but i have never mixed a vial before. I see the profiles here and they list IU amounts and how often, but when i look up an actual protocol online everyone writes it differently. Some say per ml, some say per syringe, some say to add 2ml bac water to a 5000iu vial and some say 1ml.

Basically what i dont get is the math part. If i have a 5000 iu vial and i add 2ml of bacteriostatic water, then each ml is 2500 iu, right? So if the profile says 500 iu 2x a week i would need 0.2 ml. Is that the right way to think about it or am i missing something.

Also do beginners usually start at the low end of the dose range and work up, or do you just jump to whatever your provider tells you? And is there a reason people split it into 2 doses per week instead of doing it all at once. Sorry lots of questions, just trying to understand before i do anything.

Comments

• blake_sleepnerd: Your math is right, yes. 5000 IU in 2 ml gives 2500 IU per ml, so 500 IU is 0.2 ml on the syringe. The only thing I'd add is to double check what's actually printed on the vial you end up with, because different brands list the IU per vial a bit differently and it can mess you up if you assume. On dosing frequency, the usual reason people split it twice a week instead of once is just to keep blood levels more steady. Smaller doses more often tends to give a flatter curve than one bigger shot.
• dita_h: Ok that makes me feel better, at least the math part clicked for me too. Good call on checking the vial label, i hadnt thought about brands listing it differently so ill look carefully when i actually get one. The flat curve thing makes sense in theory. For TRT support is it actually worth splitting or is it more of a theoretical benefit. Trying to keep my schedule simple since im already going to be pinning twice for test.
• restless_peptidehead: Cheers for explaining that so clearly mate, I was getting in a muddle with the IU bit when I first started too. The point about checking the actual vial is spot on, mine said something slightly different to what I'd assumed 🙋
• dita_h: Thank you, yeah that vial thing is what confused me most because you never know if the listed amount is the total or per ml until you actually hold it. The math makes sense once you see it that way. I think im just going to start at 250 iu 2x a week and titrate up based on bloodwork, my provider said 500 was fine but lower feels safer for a first run.

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.