Understand the source comparison
HMG vs HCG vs rFSH: An Honest Comparison
These three get confused constantly because they overlap in what they stimulate. The differences are specific and worth pinning down before any conversation with a prescriber. HMG carries both FSH and LH activity in one preparation, purified from urine. It is
No winner is assigned.
This page preserves a source comparison for education. It does not add a rating, recommendation or clinical judgment.
- These three get confused constantly because they overlap in what they stimulate. The differences are specific and worth pinning down before any conversation with a prescriber.
- HMG carries both FSH and LH activity in one preparation, purified from urine. It is the versatile option when a patient needs both signals, which is why it dominates ovarian stimulation and male fertility restarts.
- HCG mimics LH almost exclusively. It drives testosterone and triggers ovulation but does little for the FSH-dependent side of follicle growth or sperm production. It is the LH stand-in, not an FSH substitute, which is why the HCG peptide guide treats it as a different tool.
- Recombinant FSH (rFSH) is pure FSH made in a lab with no LH activity and no urinary sourcing. A study comparing recombinant FSH to urinary human menopausal gonadotropin examined their relative performance in stimulation cycles, and both remain accepted options (J Endocrinol Invest, 2015). The practical takeaway: rFSH gives clean FSH alone, while HMG gives FSH plus LH from a purified natural source.