HCG, or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, is a natural hormone secreted during pregnancy. It is made by trophoblast cells formed in the placenta after a fertilised egg begins adhering to the uterus wall. HCG is a hormone detected by urine and blood pregnancy tests.
HCG has multiple tasks in the body; it is utilised to boost sperm count in men. In women, it is used to trigger ovulation. Occasionally, the medication is given to boys who have a certain pituitary gland disorder.
HCG for Fertility Issue
Health care specialists may prescribe HCG for other issues, but fertility problems are far the primary use of this hormone injection. The injection is used to treat most fertility issues. It can help to increase an infertile woman’s chance of becoming pregnant. The HCG shot is also useful for women who are suffering from irregular menstrual cycles.
Best way to use HCG Shot
An HCG shot is either injected into a muscle, such as the thigh or buttocks, or given under the skin. Some patients receive these trigger shots in the doctor’s health care centre, while others use them at home. If you think injecting at home would be preferable, ask your doctor for instructions on how to use the HCG shot and dispose of needles. If you are unaware of the technique, don’t attempt to inject yourself. Once you fully understand how to administer the shot, use injection needles only once.
When to use HCG for fertility
The HCG shot is given once there is a mature egg follicle in the ovary. Your doctor will be more likely to provide you with a specific time frame to take the trigger shot. It is necessary to tell your doctor if you are not injecting the shots on time, in case any adjustments are needed. If you will be having sexual intercourse or intrauterine insemination, the process of ovulation will begin approximately 36 hours after the HCG shot, so the day of the HCG shot and the two days following the treatment are your critical days. If you will have an egg retrieval as in an IVF cycle, it will happen near that 36-hour mark so as to optimise the maturation but avoid the process of ovulation.
When to take a pregnancy test while taking HCG
As mentioned above, HCG is the hormone detected in urine pregnancy tests. When you take it by injection, it may remain in your urine for up to two weeks. Therefore, your pregnancy test will turn positive at this time as a result of medication, not a pregnancy. Women using HCG as a medication must wait for at least two weeks from the date of receiving HCG to ensure that a positive pregnancy test is due to pregnancy and not due to traces of the medication in their body.