HCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, is a pregnancy hormone that has been approved for the treatment of infertility but that your doctor can prescribe for weight loss purposes. An HCG diet is a low-calorie regimen that utilizes hormone injections for the purposes of suppressing the appetite and redistributing fat stores. Because HCG can impact the menstrual cycle, A.T.W. Simeons, the endocrinologist who developed the protocol, suggests stopping the injections while you have your period. Before starting a new diet, talk to your doctor.
About the Diet
An HCG diet is a very low-calorie, restrictive eating plan. Participants are permitted to consume only 500 calories daily. A very low-calorie diet is obviously designed to produce significant, rapid weight loss. HCG is a hormone produced in the placenta. In the 1950s, Simeons found that injecting obese patients with the hormone forced excess fat to move from areas where it tends to accumulate, such as the hips, and disperse in a more normal way. It also has hunger-suppressing properties, according to Robert True, M.D., a cosmetic surgeon. HCG is produced naturally in pregnant women and plays a role in regulating other hormones. For the non-pregnant, HCG helps control the menstrual cycle. Taking it while you are menstruating could impact your flow in an unpredictable way.
During Menstruation
The calorie restriction phase of an HCG diet is 26 days. The hormone injection phase is 23 days. In "Pounds and Inches," the book about the HCG diet, Simeons explains that because no injections are given while you are menstruating, it is best to start the protocol as soon as your period ends. If you start hormone shots mid-cycle, you should stop taking the injections while you are menstruating. During this time, you are expected to feel extraordinarily famished, says Simeons. However, once your period is over and your shots resume, "all hunger ceases within a few hours after the injection," he said.
Missed Periods
If you miss three or more periods, this condition is called amenorrhea. It also applies to girls who have not had a period by age 16. Amenorrhea commonly occurs during pregnancy, breast-feeding and menopause. Lifestyle factors that could cause missed periods include low body weight and a hormonal imbalance, both of which can occur from being on an HCG diet. Columbia University's health information website, Go Ask Alice!, reports that malnourishment, which can happen when a person does not get enough calories over a long period of time, can also result in missing periods. Amenorrhea from lack of food can be triggered by consuming fewer than 900 calories a day, almost double the amount of calories permitted on an HCG diet.
Complications
MayoClinic.com reports that complications of missing your period include infertility. Women who don't menstruate cannot ovulate and therefore cannot get pregnant. Complications associated with HCG injections are far more serious. Shelly Burgess, a spokesperson with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reports that the hormone supplements can cause fatigue, headaches, swelling of the breasts and possibly even pulmonary embolism.
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