If you are one of the 7 million women who are affected by some kind of infertility, you may want to know more about hCG. It is one of the things that may help you in starting that family of your dreams.

Human chorionic gonadotropin is the official meaning behind the letter of hCG. This is naturally produced by your body during pregnancy to help out with the production of needed glands. These glands produce hormones like progesterone that are essential for your uterus to house your baby if you get pregnant. Human chorionic gonadotropin is naturally produced by a fertilized embryo (your egg with male sperm forming a baby). This is why it is also used to determine pregnancy. Some pregnancy tests will examine your urine and look for the presence of hCG as the positive indicator for pregnancy. It is also sometimes used as an indicator of the status of your pregnancy. If your doctor suspects some problems, hCG levels can be monitored to check for abnormalities. Any unusual changes in the levels can be signs of pregnancy complications like a higher risk of miscarriage or birth defects.

In your battle against infertility, hCG is used as a fertility drug. In women, it stimulates the release of the egg from the follicles that contain it. This is also known as ovulation. hCG works like the luteinizing hormones you would normally use. Sometimes your body just doesn’t have the capability to produce the required hormones or you are suffering from a disease that inhibits the body’s ability to naturally ovulate. In these cases, hCG can be administered through subcutaneous (meaning through the skin) and intramuscular (meaning through the muscles) injections. Sometimes hCG is used with other fertility meds. Sometimes your doctor will prescribe you with extra medications to boost your ovary’s egg production to raise the chances that when you use hCG a healthy egg will be released.

Sometimes men also need hCG injections. A condition known as hypogonadism, which means that the gonads (the testicles in the man’s case) are lazy and are not producing at optimal levels, can be treated with an injection of hCG. The hCG will promote the testicles to produce more testosterone that will in turn make more sperm, boosting his fertility.

HCG is commonly used in procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI). With its high success rate (90% of women who use this will successfully ovulate) and a predictable time frame before ovulation occurs, hCG can be invaluable in such procedures. It is said that injections of hCG in women who are having trouble ovulating will result in 15% - 20% successful pregnancies per cycle with IUIs (usually a couple will be pregnant within the first four or five cycles) and 40% with IVF.

There are some things you must consider however before using hCG. It is a fertility drug, and like other fertility drug, they can lead to a higher chance of multiple pregnancies. Multiple pregnancies can result in a higher chance of miscarriage and birth defects. They are also somewhat expensive. They can go for about $75 per ampule and you may need up to six at a time to get a good result. Considering that IUIs will already cost you around $300 and IVF will cost you around $12,000 per cycle, aiding it with hCG can drive your final medical bill too high. Not all situations require the use of hCG injections. Talk to your doctor and get an honest assessment of your options. Sometimes your doctors will advise against the use of the hCG because the factors concerning your infertility do not call for it. You may also experience head-aches and abdominal pain or discomfort should you go for the injections.

All in all, hCG is very useful and can be a godsend if you are struggling with infertility. Sometimes it’s essential because you really don’t have the ability to ovulate on your own (this is often the case for women afflicted with polycystic ovarian syndrome). If you are interested, talk to your doctor and see if this is for you.