Peptide Decoding
New?New to peptides?Start here →
Decoding

Gonadorelin (GnRH)_Dosage, benefits & legal status

Also known as GnRH, LHRH, Factrel, Gonadorelin

Published July 22, 2026 · Updated August 14, 2026

A shot that keeps your own testosterone and fertility hormones going.

Hormone / fertilityGnRH peptideClinical use
InSexual and hormonal
Common vial size10 mg
Dose0.1 up to 0.2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
Frequency2-3x per week or more
RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
StatusPrescription/compounded
MixYour choice, calculate it
CycledPulsed, not continuous. How often you give it decides whether it switches the system on or off

Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.

01

What is Gonadorelin (GnRH)?

Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.

Overview

It prompts your own hormone production, often used alongside testosterone therapy to keep the testicles active. Because it clears fast, it needs frequent dosing.

The technical version

Gonadorelin is synthetic GnRH, the hormone your brain uses to tell the pituitary to make testosterone and fertility hormones.

What it's used for

A shot that tells the body to make its own testosterone and fertility hormones, often used alongside testosterone therapy to keep the testicles working.

02

How does Gonadorelin (GnRH) work?

What it does in the body, and where.

Gonadorelin is GnRH itself, identical to what your brain releases. How you give it determines whether it switches the system on or shuts it off.

  1. 01
    It prompts the pituitary to release LH and FSH
    Which in turn drive testosterone and sperm, or the ovarian cycle.
  2. 02
    Pulsed dosing stimulates, continuous dosing suppresses
    The pituitary desensitises to a constant signal. This is not a side effect but the basis of an entire drug class used to shut hormone production down deliberately.
  3. 03
    Timing therefore matters more than dose
    Which is why it is given as frequent small injections rather than a steady level.
  4. 04
    It clears in minutes
    A very short half-life, which is what makes pulsed dosing practical.
Where it acts
Pituitary

Where this compound is thought to act.

03

What else is it used for?

Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.

  • Testing whether the pituitary gland is working, which was its approved diagnostic useClinical use
  • Keeping the testicles working during testosterone therapy, which is the main reason it is used nowClinical use

The published record

Research index

1,502

Records indexed for Gonadorelin (GnRH)345 papers and 100 trials indexed in detail.

219 in humans, 89 of them original studies.

1,157 registered trials, 21 with posted results among the 100 indexed.

FDA: Category 1, component of an FDA-approved drug · FDA: Named as an unapproved new drug.

Browse the records

In animalsPro
In the labPro
ReviewsPro
Senior author sharePro

Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person. Human means indexed under humans, which includes reviews and work on human cells. Original studies exclude reviews and lab work on human cells.Last updated 12 September 2026.

Gonadorelin (GnRH) vial rendering
Compound field notes

At a glance

Four things to know about Gonadorelin (GnRH)

01

Evidence

Clinical use

02

Category

Sexual and hormonal

03

Common vial

10 mg

04

Half-life

2 to 10 minutes

04

How much, and do you cycle it?

The range, and whether you take breaks.

0.1 up to 0.2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly), 2-3x per week or more. Pulsed, not continuous. How often you give it decides whether it switches the system on or offHuman study

This is the clearest cycling story in the whole set. Given in pulses roughly every one to two hours it stimulates the axis; given continuously it shuts the axis down. That is not a side effect, it is the mechanism, and it is what drugs like leuprolide exploit to suppress testosterone deliberately. Continuous dosing does the opposite of what most people taking it want.

Source: Belchetz et al., pulsatile vs continuous GnRH (Science 1978)

Compare this against the whole library →

05

How long does it stay in the body?

The half-life, and where the figure comes from.

2 to 10 minutesHuman study

Sources disagree. Human pharmacokinetic work behind the Factrel application gives 2 to 10 minutes, while other references give 10 to 40 minutes. The short half-life is the whole point of the molecule: pulsed dosing stimulates the pituitary and continuous dosing shuts it down.

Not yet traced to a primary source.

You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.

06

How do I dose and price it?

Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.

The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.

Your vial size (mg)
Printed on the vial.
What you paid per vial
$
Used for cost per dose only.
Your dose (mcg)
Commonly referenced range: 0.1 up to 0.2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)Clinical use

Choose your mix

your own mL
units · —
Enter your own volume

Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.

Your draw

2 / 100 units
2 units is a very small line to read, so a small slip is a large error. A larger water volume above spreads the same dose across more units.
Full calculator with reorder date →Read a syringe →
What it costs

Gonadorelin (GnRH) starts at $17.00 across 14 vendors, typically $6.55 – $27.50 per mg.

21 listings, last read Sep 6, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.

See all 21 listings →
07

How do you store it?

Before mixing, and after.

Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.

Unmixed lyophilized Gonadorelin (GnRH) keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.

08

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.
  • Known allergy to gonadorelin
  • Any condition where raising sex hormones would be unwise
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding

Stop and get help

These are emergencies. Seek care.
  • Swelling, trouble breathing, or hives, since repeated use has caused severe allergic reactions

Common effects

Expected, and usually mild.
  • Headache and light-headedness
  • Nausea
  • Injection-site reactions
  • Generally mild after a single dose

What regulators say

Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.

09

Is Gonadorelin (GnRH) approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

Not approved, but legal to obtain. Gonadorelin (GnRH) has no FDA approval, and it can be prescribed or prepared by a compounding pharmacy in the United States.

  • Approval status
    Clinical use
  • Route
    Under the skin (subcutaneous)
  • Checked
    July 2026

What has happened recently

We have not yet written a full regulatory note for this compound. The status above is current as of the date shown.

You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.

10

What else is like Gonadorelin (GnRH)?

Others in Sexual and hormonal, side by side.

If you're weighing Gonadorelin (GnRH), it's worth reading HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), HMG (Menotropin), and Oxytocin in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE
Gonadorelin (GnRH)

A shot that keeps your own testosterone and fertility hormones going.

Clinical use
Dose
0.1 up to 0.2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
How often
2-3x per week or more
HCG
HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin)

A hormone shot that keeps the testicles making testosterone and sperm.

Clinical use
Dose
250 up to 500 IU per dose (alongside testosterone therapy)
How often
2-3x per week
HMG
HMG (Menotropin)

A fertility hormone shot that drives sperm or egg production.

Clinical use
Dose
75 up to 150 IU per dose (start low, increase slowly)
How often
Several per week
OXT
Oxytocin

The bonding hormone, used for connection, mood, and sometimes libido.

Clinical use
Dose
18 up to 40 IU per dose
How often
As needed
See other sexual and hormonal peptides

Guides for this compound

Sources

  • FDA label, FACTREL (gonadorelin hydrochloride injection), prescription animal drug label, NADA 139-237(2026)
    Vendors and clinics routinely point at the Factrel brand name as evidence that gonadorelin is FDA-approved. Here is the Factrel label that FDA currently publishes. It is a prescription animal drug label, approved under new animal drug application 139-237, distributed by Zoetis, and its first line reads: for use in cattle only. The indications are ovarian follicular cysts in lactating dairy cows, beef cows and replacement heifers, and use alongside LUTALYSE to synchronise oestrus for fixed-time artificial insemination. The strength is 50 micrograms per millilitre, given intramuscularly. Under warnings and precautions the label states: for use in animals only, not for human use. The effectiveness data are cattle data, from 1142 cows at six commercial dairies, where pregnancy rates were 17.1% in controls against 27.3, 29.1 and 32.2% at the three doses tested. None of this says gonadorelin is unsafe or that it never held a human approval, and this label has nothing to say about human use either way. It does mean that anyone citing a currently published FDA Factrel label as support for human dosing is citing a document about dairy herds.

Last reviewed 22 July 2026

Beyond these, 445 records are indexed. Browse the records