HCG Side Effects

The side effects of HCG include allergic reactions characterized by swelling of the face, difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips, swelling of the tongue and swelling of the throat as well. Blood clots are another possible side effect, characterized by redness, pain, warmth, numbness, tingling in your leg, arm, extreme dizziness, confusion or headaches that are severe.

Women who are utilizing HCG developed a condition that is called OHSS or ovarian hyper-stimulated syndrome.  This side effect usually occurs after the first cycle treatment. OHSS is a condition that is life threatening. There are many symptoms for the condition. Included in OHSS symptoms are stomach swelling, stomach pain, severe pain in the pelvis, swelling of the legs or hands, shortness of breathing, diarrhea, weight gain, vomiting, nausea or urinating less often than usual.

Side effects of HCG also include the early development of puberty in boys, which is characterized by growth of pubic hair, a deepening voice, and increase in sweating or acne.

Other side effects of HCG include feelings of irritation, water weight gain, mild swelling, breast swelling, breast tenderness, depression and irritation, swelling or pain in the area of the injection.

Although you can become pregnant with the help of HCG, this is a medication that is categorized “X” in the FDA pregnancy category. This indicates that utilizing this medication upon conception may increase your chances of getting birth defects. Do not use this drug in the event you are pregnant.

Known as the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, HCG is a hormone that supports normal egg development in the ovary of a woman, stimulating release of the egg during ovulation.  Utilized to treat infertility by stimulating ovulation and also for increasing sperm count in men, HCG is also utilized for young boys in the event that their testicles have not dropped down into the scrotum normally, which is sometimes caused by a disorder in the pituitary gland.

Specifically, the role of HCG is for the prevention of the corpus luteum’s disintegration into the ovary, maintaining the production of progesterone, which is critical for human pregnancy. Other functions of HCG include affecting the immunity tolerance of pregnancy. In general, early pregnancy tests are based on detecting HCG in the urine. Because HCG is also a production of certain tumors, it is an important marker for tumors especially those with clinical significance in the Gestational trophoblastic diseases.

HCG use has also been associated with increased chances of experiencing multiple births like quadruplets, triplets or twins. Keep in mind that multiple pregnancies are high risk-types of pregnancies for both the babies and the mothers.

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to HCG or if you have a cancer that is hormone-related such as prostate cancer. You should also not utilize this medication if you have precocious or early puberty.

Your doctor needs to be informed if you have experienced having a cyst in the ovary, adrenal gland disorder or thyroid disorder, undiagnosed bleeding of the uterus, epilepsy, heart disease, asthma or migraines.