choriogonadotropin alfa at a glance
Medicine class
Recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin, a gonadotropin.
Usual role
Triggers final follicular maturation and ovulation during specialist fertility treatment.
Administration
Injected under the skin using a single-use prefilled syringe after training.
Pregnancy tests
May cause a false-positive urine or blood pregnancy test for up to ten days after use.
What is choriogonadotropin alfa used for?
Licensed uses in adult women after medicinal stimulation of follicular growth are:
Triggering final follicular maturation and luteinisation before assisted reproductive procedures such as IVF.
Triggering ovulation and luteinisation in women who do not ovulate or ovulate infrequently.
How does choriogonadotropin alfa work?
It binds to the LH/CG receptor on ovarian cells and mimics the natural luteinising hormone surge. This restarts egg-cell maturation, promotes follicle rupture and supports formation of the corpus luteum.
How to take choriogonadotropin alfa
Use only under a fertility specialist’s supervision and at the precise time given by the clinic.
Inject under the skin only after training by a healthcare professional.
Use the prefilled syringe once and dispose of it safely.
Use only a clear solution without visible particles.
Do not mix it with another medicine in the same syringe.
choriogonadotropin alfa side effects
Common or expected effects
- Headache
- Abdominal pain or bloating
- Nausea or vomiting
- Injection-site reactions
- Mild or moderate ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
Get urgent medical advice
- Severe or worsening OHSS, including marked abdominal swelling, breathing difficulty, rapid weight gain or reduced urine
- Severe allergic reaction, including wheezing, throat or tongue swelling or collapse
- Blood-clot symptoms such as sudden breathlessness, chest pain, coughing blood or a painful swollen leg
choriogonadotropin alfa in pregnancy
It assists conception but is not indicated once pregnancy is established. Do not use it during pregnancy; tell the fertility team if you may already be pregnant or receive an unexpected positive test.
choriogonadotropin alfa while breastfeeding
It is not indicated during breastfeeding, and it is unknown whether it passes into breast milk. Discuss breastfeeding with the fertility specialist before treatment.
choriogonadotropin alfa interactions
Specific interaction studies have not been performed, and no clinically significant medicine interactions have been reported during hCG therapy.
No specific medicine or class established
Tell the fertility team about all medicines and supplements because treatment is specialist-supervised.
Common questions about choriogonadotropin alfa
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Can it affect a pregnancy test?
Yes. It can produce a false-positive blood or urine pregnancy test for up to ten days after administration.
What are signs of OHSS?
Possible signs include increasing abdominal pain or swelling, nausea, vomiting, rapid weight gain, reduced urine and breathlessness. Contact the fertility clinic or seek urgent help according to symptom severity.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.