The FSH is follicle-stimulating hormone. HCG is chorionic gonadotropin. Both are dosed in international units, because a biological activity is measured, not a mass of powder. 75 IU is not 75 mg. 5,000 IU is not 5,000 mg. The site calculator accepts the IU unit for these two vials, and only for them among the new products.
They are also reproductive hormones. The branded products that contain them (Gonal-f or Puregon for FSH, Pregnyl for HCG) are prescribed with monitoring, blood tests and often an ultrasound. The catalogue page gives the starting schedule and the vial reconstitution. It does not describe ovarian stimulation or a fertility protocol.
FSH, 75 UI
75 IU is the starting format most often cited on package leaflets: one subcutaneous injection per day. If the response is weak, the next step on the same leaflets is often double, 150 IU per day. You do not jump to 150 IU on the first day, and you do not add up several vials "for a cycle".
- Weeks 1 to 2: 75 UI, once a day.
- If the response is weak: 150 UI, once a day.
Reconstitution: the 75 IU vial in 1 mL gives 75 IU/mL. The starting dose is then the whole vial. To measure 150 IU, you need two vials, or a solution whose concentration you have noted. The HMG, which combines FSH and LH, is a different product: it is not substituted for this vial. Page: FSH. Product: FSH 75 UI.
HCG, 5 000 UI
The vial contains 5,000 IU. Two classic reconstitutions:
- 1 mL of solvent: 5,000 IU/mL. The whole vial fits in 1 mL. A small draw becomes hard to read.
- 5 mL of solvent: 1 000 UI/mL. This is the easiest reconstitution to read for the schedule below. 500 IU is 0.50 mL. 1,000 IU is 1 mL.
The product page schedule:
- Weeks 1 to 4: 500 UI, twice a week.
- Weeks 5 to 8: 1 000 UI, twice a week.
Some fertility leaflets describe something else: a single injection of 5,000 to 10,000 IU, once, under monitoring. That is not a rhythm to repeat every week, and it is not the table on the product page. At 500 IU per dose, a 5,000 IU vial reconstituted in 5 mL covers ten doses. Page: HCG. Product: HCG 5 000 UI.
What to note on the label
The reconstitution date, the volume added, and therefore the IU per millilitre. Without this line, a syringe means nothing: 0.50 mL of a 1,000 IU/mL solution has nothing in common with 0.50 mL of a 5,000 IU/mL solution. Both vials are kept between 2 and 8 °C after reconstitution, like the rest of the catalogue, and HCG in solution does not tolerate heat or repeated trips out of the cold.
Frequently asked questions
Why IU and not mg?
The activity of these hormones is declared in international units. Two batches of the same mass may not have the same activity. The calculator uses the IU unit for these vials.
Is 75 IU the whole vial?
Yes, if it was reconstituted in 1 mL and the schedule is at the starting step. 150 IU is twice that, not "a bit more in the syringe" by eye.
1 mL or 5 mL for HCG?
Both are correct; they do not give the same concentration. 5 mL gives 1,000 IU/mL, easier to measure for 500 and 1,000 IU. Write the volume on the label.
Can a fertility protocol be followed with these vials?
No. Those protocols are prescriptions, with monitoring. The vials are laboratory reagents. The product page gives the reconstitution and the starting schedule, not a cycle.
Fact sheet
- FSH
- Follicle-stimulating hormone: two-subunit glycoprotein, about 30 kDa
- HCG
- Human chorionic gonadotropin: glycoprotein, about 37 kDa
- Unit
- International unit (IU): a biological activity, not a mass
- Reference medicines
- Follitropin (Gonal-f, Puregon); choriogonadotropin (Pregnyl, Ovitrelle)
- Anti-doping status (WADA)
- HCG prohibited in men (class S2)
What the research says
Summary of published data, written by the PeptidLab team. It describes molecules studied in the laboratory or in clinical trials: nothing here is an indication for use.
2020GuidelineHum Reprod Open
Guidelines from the European society ESHRE on ovarian stimulation in IVF: choice of FSH doses and of the ovulation trigger.
Safety: what studies report
- In fertility treatments, the main risk described is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome; multiple pregnancies are also more common. These treatments are carried out under medical supervision.
Sources
Links to PubMed or to the original document. Articles in English.
- ESHRE Reproductive Endocrinology Guideline Group. ESHRE guideline: ovarian stimulation for IVF/ICSI. Hum Reprod Open, 2020. PubMed
Updated October 2026.
This guide has an informative and scientific purpose. PeptidLab products are intended exclusively for laboratory research and are not intended for human or animal consumption.
