HCG Side Effects In Women

It is really hard to figure out what is real and what is simply hype when it comes to the HCG diet.  Just tonight I have been searching the Internet about HCG side effects in women, and all I can find is a lot of Youtube videos by ladies who want you to visit their site and buy their homeopathic HCG drops.

“All the side effects were good ones...” - hartmart1 on Youtube

Let’s cut through the "fat" and try to get some information for you about possible side effects you might experience if you try the HCG diet.

The HCG Diet is Not Natural:

Hormone Injections
HCG -- or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin -- is a hormone in the human body which is important during pregnancy to help produce progesterone, and can be measured in the urine to detect pregnancy.  It also presents with high levels in the body in a lot of cases of cancerous tumors.

However, just because a hormone is found in the body does not mean that it is natural to artificially increase the levels by injection. In many ways this can be akin to saying that because Testosterone is normally found in the body, it is safe to take anabolic steroids which mimic its effects. (In fact many steroid users abuse HCG as part of their steroid routine)

The Anorexia Diet
The reason you lose weight on the HCG diet is that you dimply do not eat anything.  The core of the HCG diet revolves around eating only 500 calories a day.  This is not a sustainable amount of calories -- nor is it meant to be.

However, instead of training the body to establish healthy eating habits, it establishes an unnatural, short time eating style.  While the doctors who oversee your HCG diet protocol will encourage you to eat a reduced calorie, high-protein, low-carb diet after your HCG treatment ends, you will have to develop these new eating habits on your own.

If you are eating less than 1,000 calories a day, you’re body will actually burn muscle along with the fat (despite what they advertise!) and may even damage vital organs such as the liver and gallbladder. Even when closely monitored by a doctor, the HCG diet has inerat risks which cannot be avoided.  

HCG Hair Loss

Because you are on a low-calorie diet, your hair, skin and nails will find it harder to get the nutrition they need daily.  You can try to help mitigate these effects by using a good multivitamin and making sure you get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin A.  However it is likely that the roots will still be damaged the same way they will be with any anorexic diet, and you can expect hair loss to occur.

Injectable HCG Side Effects

According to Drugs.com, HCG injections can cause birth defects and should not be used while pregnant.  Additionally, there is risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome as a HCG side effect in women where the ovaries increase in size and can lead to further complications such as kidney problems.  Several fatal cases have been reported.

Additionally, HCG injections are expensive and can cost as much as $800-$1000 a month.

Oral HCG Side Effects

Oral, or over-the-counter HGC , is actually not HGC but a homeopathic solution purporting to contain the “essence” of the HGC molecule.  KETV Channel 7 out of Omaha Nebraska submitted one of these HCG homeopathic vials to a lab which was unable to identify any HCG in the product.

It’s doubtful that HCG that you buy online can provide anything more than a placebo effect. Stay away from fake HCG or HCG sold over the counter, especially considering some of the possible medical complications listed above.

Banned HCG Drops

On December 6, 2011, the FDA moved to ban all over-the-counter HCG products.  While you can still purchase some HCG products online, it is likely that will soon change as the FDA moves slowly through the suppliers and gets them shut down.

HCG Alternatives

There are a lot of products out there that try to target fat loss while protecting muscle.  Unfortunately, they typically have even fewer scientific reviews than HCG does. In the end, the best weight loss plan is a reduced (not low!) calorie diet with a balanced food selection and an active lifestyle.

Talk To Us

Have you tried the HCG diet?  Feel free to comment below with your experiences.