HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, is a hormone that has been approved for the treatment of infertility and male hormone irregularities. It’s also popularly prescribed off-label for treating obesity. Proponents of HCG diets theorize that the hormone helps burn excess fat and suppresses hunger. Symptoms associated with using HCG for infertility and weight loss include fatigue, headaches and muscle cramping. HCG also increases your risk for fluid retention and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or OHSS, both of which can cause abdominal cramping.
HCG for Diet
Shelly Burgess, a spokesperson with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reports that conditions associated with administering 125 international units, or IU, of HCG for weight loss include fluid retention and OHSS. Fluid retention, also called edema, can cause abdominal distension, pain and cramping. OHSS is characterized by swollen ovaries that can leak fluid into the belly and chest. Symptoms include abdominal pain and bloating, tenderness around the ovaries, tightness or enlarged abdomen.
HCG for Infertility
The National Institutes of Health reports that 10 percent of women who receive HCG injections for in vitro fertilization experience OHSS, and the condition is more likely to occur with HCG versus other fertility drugs. About a quarter of women on the injectible fertility drug will get a mild form of OHSS, and a smaller number will have severe symptoms, which includes rapid weight gain, shortness of breath and reduced urination. A typical dose of HCG for fertility is from 5,000 to 10,000 IU. Severe pain or swelling in the lower abdomen should be reported to your doctor immediately.
Very-Low-Calorie Diet
HCG diets are 500-calorie-a-day programs. A very-low-calorie diet, or VLCD, is defined by the Weight-Control Information Network, or WIN, as consuming up to 800 calories a day and is designed to produce rapid weight loss in obese individuals at immediate risk for health complications. Because of the possible side effects, according to WIN, patients should be under medical supervision when on a VLCD. Eating too few calories can lead to muscle cramps, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, as well as other long-term problems.
Over-the-Counter HCG
HCG is sold over the counter – without a doctor’s prescription – at health food stores, vitamin shops and online. They’re available in pill form, sprays and lozenges. While many of these products claim to have weight-loss properties, the FDA’s position is that “HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity" and that homeopathic HCG, specifically, is not a recognized active ingredient in the “Homeopathic Pharmacopia of the United States.” Since homeopathic compounds contain only a minute amount of the active ingredient, side effects are less likely to occur, but the risk is still there.
References
- Drugs.com; HCG; April 2009
- MedlinePlus; MedlinePlus Logo Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome; July 2009
- Mail Online; Are You Feeling Too Swell?; Esme Floyd
- Physician's Choice Wellness, LLC: Level 1: Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD)
- FertilityCommunity.com: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG)
- American Pregnancy Association: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG): The Pregnancy Hormone
- Weight-Control Information Network: Very Low Calorie Diets
