A laboratory-made copy of the brain hormone at the top of the sex-hormone chain. Brief injections raise the signals driving the testes and ovaries, and in men can briefly raise testosterone. Spaced doses stimulate; continuous exposure shuts the system down. No long-term human safety data exist, and material sold outside trials has no assured purity. (Full Review)

Protocol

Research-Derived Intravenous Protocol

0.3–1.0 µg/kg bolus

1 µg/kg is the documented optimum in men; 3 µg/kg produced less response. Confined to research settings.

Commercial Wellness-Clinic Protocol

100–200 µg, 1–3× weekly

Subcutaneous, often stacked with growth hormone secretagogues. Commercially derived; no controlled trial has evaluated it.

Best Time of Day

Morning

Aligns with the diurnal luteinizing hormone and testosterone peaks. In women, cycle phase dominates.

Time to effect

Luteinizing Hormone

15–30 minutes

Rises within 15 minutes, peaking near 30 after an intravenous bolus.

Testosterone

Subsequent hours

Follows the luteinizing hormone rise; no loading period.

Subjective Libido and Mood

Same session

Reported within the same infusion session, where it occurs at all.

Benefits

High: Acute luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormone release; provocative axis testing

Medium: Short-term testosterone rise; increased luteinizing hormone pulsatility; acute oxytocin rise

Low: Enhanced sexual and emotional brain processing; acute irisin rise; insulin secretion modulation; oocyte maturation and ovulation

Speculative: Blood-brain barrier preservation after ischemia; metastasis suppression; bone formation

Contraindications

Androgen-sensitive prostate cancer, known or suspected, or unevaluated prostate-specific antigen above 4.0 ng/mL (2.5 ng/mL in men under 60)

Estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, treated or untreated

Acute coronary syndrome or myocardial infarction within 90 days, unstable angina, untreated significant coronary stenosis

Hematocrit above 52%, or above 50% with prior venous thromboembolism

Pregnancy, attempting pregnancy outside a supervised protocol, or breastfeeding

Under 18, or incomplete epiphyseal closure

Untreated moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index above 15/hour)

New York Heart Association Class III–IV heart failure, or chronic kidney disease with eGFR below 30 mL/min/1.73 m²

Untreated hyperprolactinemia, cause not investigated

Key Interactions

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and antagonists (leuprolide, degarelix)

Exogenous testosterone and anabolic androgens (cypionate, nandrolone)

Selective estrogen receptor modulators and aromatase inhibitors (clomiphene, anastrozole)

Human chorionic gonadotropin

Neurokinin-3 receptor antagonists (fezolinetant, elinzanetant)

Dopamine agonists (cabergoline) and prolactin-raising medications (risperidone, metoclopramide)

Opioids (morphine, oxycodone, tramadol, codeine)

Over-the-counter melatonin

Testosterone-raising supplements (Tongkat Ali, ashwagandha, boron, zinc)

Testosterone-lowering supplements (licorice root, spearmint, saw palmetto)

Prolonged low energy availability (caloric restriction, fasting, endurance training)

Growth hormone secretagogues (ipamorelin, CJC-1295, sermorelin)

Risk & Side Effects

High: Receptor desensitization and paradoxical axis suppression; unverified research-grade material

Medium: Vasoconstriction in atherosclerosis-prone arteries; injection-site reactions; estrogen elevation

Low: Endothelial senescence and impaired angiogenesis; excessive follicular recruitment; fluid retention

Speculative: Leydig cell degeneration; tumor promotion in receptor-expressing cancers; set-point shift

Monitoring

Marker	Target	Why
Total testosterone (men)	600–900 ng/dL	Primary downstream output
Free testosterone (men)	15–25 ng/dL	Fraction available to tissues
Luteinizing hormone	4–8 IU/L	Direct readout of pituitary response
Follicle-stimulating hormone	3–7 IU/L	Second pituitary output
Estradiol, sensitive assay (men)	20–30 pg/mL	Detects excess aromatization
Sex hormone-binding globulin	20–40 nmol/L	Sets how much testosterone is free
Prolactin	< 10 ng/mL	Elevation suppresses the axis
Hematocrit	40–48%	Androgen-driven clot risk
Prostate-specific antigen (men over 40)	< 1.0 ng/mL	Screens androgen-sensitive prostate
Estradiol and progesterone, cycle-timed (women)	Cycle-phase dependent	Confirms ovulation, not recruitment
Anti-Müllerian hormone (women)	1.0–4.0 ng/mL	Ovarian reserve shapes response
Fasting insulin	2–5 µIU/mL	Interacts with insulin secretion
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein	< 0.5 mg/L	Flags reaction to product contaminants
Apolipoprotein B	< 80 mg/dL	Baseline vascular risk
Blood pressure, office and home	< 120/80 mmHg	Constricts isolated human arteries

Cadence: Baseline before the first dose; core markers at 4–6 weeks, at the end of each treatment block and each washout, then every 3–6 months.

Qualitative Assessment

Sexual desire and spontaneous arousal frequency, rated weekly on a fixed scale
Morning erections in men, recorded as frequency per week
Mood stability and presence or absence of negative mood
Energy and training drive, distinguished from general stimulation
Sleep quality and total sleep duration, as an independent determinant of testosterone
Injection-site appearance, recorded as pain, redness, induration or nodule formation
Menstrual cycle regularity and length in women, with any unexpected mid-cycle bleeding noted

Kisspeptin-10 for Health & Longevity

Protocol

Benefits

Risk & Side Effects

Monitoring

Qualitative Assessment