Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone.
Research-backed compound with potential health benefits. In women, it mimics the natural LH surge to trigger ovulation. It's a key part of certain IVF and fertility protocols. In men with specific deficiencies, it can stimulate testosterone production.
Reviewed March 2026
- Category
- Compound
What Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone is, and what it does.
- Does it work
- This is a prescription injectable used inside a clinician-run protocol, with dose and timing set from your own scans and bloods. It belongs to that setting rather than a shelf.
- How much to take
- Your doctor determines this. Doses are precise, injected, and timed to your cycle based on ultrasound and bloodwork. Never self-administer.
- Time to feel it
- It works over a single cycle. The response is read from oestradiol levels and follicle scans within days rather than from anything you would sense.
- The first dose
- It is an injection given under medical supervision. Within a day the follicle is completing its final maturation, tracked by ultrasound and bloods rather than by sensation.
- With regular use
- This is not used long-term. It's used for short, specific periods during a fertility treatment cycle. The long-term outcome is hopefully a successful pregnancy.
- How well tolerated
- Only safe under strict medical supervision. Main risk is Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), which can be severe. Your doctor monitors for this.
- How it feels
- You won't feel a buzz. You might feel some bloating, breast tenderness, or mild cramping as your ovaries respond. It's a medical procedure in a syringe.
- The overlooked benefit
- It is dosed in international units against a reference standard, not in milligrams, because the sugar chains on the protein rather than its weight decide how active it is.
75 to 150 IU a day is where Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone works.
Source: Fertility treatment protocols; Luveris prescribing info
The proof, claim by claim.
These words describe the research, not the molecule's worth. Research strength is how much work stands behind one claim, and it is never a product score.
Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone is documented in the library; the clinical read is in the queue. Nothing about the strength of the research prints until the read is done.
- follicular development alongside FSH in assisted reproduction protocolsMeta-analysis
- oestradiol production by the growing follicleRandomised trial
- final follicle maturation and ovulation timingRandomised trial
- testosterone production by testicular Leydig cellsRandomised trial
Questions people ask about Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone.
- Is this the same as the LH in my body?
- It's a lab-made version designed to act exactly like it. Bio-identical.
- Can I take this to boost my testosterone?
- No. This is a targeted medical treatment for specific types of hypogonadism, prescribed and monitored by a specialist. Don't mess with it.
- Is it a steroid?
- No. It's a peptide hormone, not an anabolic steroid. It tells your body to make its own hormones.
- How is it taken?
- By injection, usually under the skin (subcutaneous). Your clinic will teach you how.
- What are the main side effects?
- Bloating, headache, and abdominal discomfort are common. The main serious risk is Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS).
- Can you buy this over the counter?
- Absolutely not. Prescription only, from a fertility clinic or specialist.
Why these belong in the same formula. Each row says what the basis is, from settled biochemistry through to a trial that measured the pair.
Myo-inositol is the precursor of the inositol triphosphate second messenger that granulosa cells use downstream of FSH receptor activation, and follicular fluid inositol concentration has been studied as an oocyte quality marker. Recombinant LH acts on the theca compartment upstream of that signalling. The link is mechanistic and the inositol work reports markers rather than birth outcomes.
Oocyte maturation is energetically demanding and depends on mitochondrial electron transport, where coenzyme Q10 shuttles electrons between complexes I or II and III. Gonadotropin support drives follicular development but does not supply that bioenergetic capacity. Published work on coenzyme Q10 in this setting reports oocyte and embryo markers, and an association there is not a demonstrated cause.
Granulosa cells and endometrial tissue express the vitamin D receptor, and calcitriol influences anti-Mullerian hormone and aromatase gene expression in those cells. Recombinant LH acts through a separate G protein-coupled receptor on theca cells. Most human data linking vitamin D status to assisted reproduction outcomes are observational, so they show association rather than cause.
Melatonin accumulates in follicular fluid at concentrations above plasma and acts there as a direct radical scavenger during the oxidative burst of ovulation. Gonadotropin support governs follicular growth and steroid output rather than that redox environment. The outcome data are mixed and mostly report oocyte quality markers.
L-arginine is the substrate nitric oxide synthase uses to make nitric oxide, which regulates vascular tone including in the uterine and ovarian circulation. Endometrial thickness responds in part to perfusion, and recombinant LH has been studied against that same endometrial measure. The connection is mechanistic, endometrial thickness is a marker, and no combination has been tested.
Nothing specific on file for Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone. Match the label to the daily amount above, and tell your doctor what you take.
Not medical advice. Show the label to your pharmacist.What Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone actually does.
LH is two protein pieces stuck together, one of which it shares with several other hormones and one of which makes it LH.
It docks on theca and Leydig cells and switches on the first, slowest step of making steroid hormones from cholesterol.
One cell type makes the raw material under LH and the neighbouring one converts it to oestrogen under FSH, so both hormones are needed.
It is a protein, so swallowing it would destroy it; it is injected and measured in units, not milligrams.
Where Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone comes from.
Human genes for the hormone are put into hamster ovary cells, which are grown in tanks and secrete the hormone. It is then cleaned up in stages, measured in units against an international standard, and filled into vials or pens.
Built by fermentation, the same way vitamin B12 and many amino acids are made at scale. Controlled conditions, consistent output.
The human genes for the LH alpha and beta subunits are inserted into a CHO cell line, which is banked as a master and working cell bank.
Cells are grown in a defined medium in stirred bioreactors, where they assemble and glycosylate the heterodimer and secrete it into the culture fluid.
Cells and debris are separated from the culture fluid by centrifugation and depth filtration, leaving the secreted protein in solution.
A sequence of chromatography steps separates the intact heterodimer from host cell protein, DNA and misassembled subunits, with dedicated viral inactivation and filtration steps.
Potency is assigned by bioassay against an international reference preparation, so the label states international units rather than a protein weight.
The purified protein is formulated with stabilisers, filled, freeze-dried or supplied as a liquid pen cartridge, and paired with a diluent.
Cell line details, medium composition, the chromatography sequence and formulation excipients are proprietary and not published; the urinary-derived alternative has a completely different chain, starting from pooled human urine rather than cell culture.
The forms it comes in.
The essence, in one line each.
- Systematically reviews recombinant LH added to gonadotropin stimulation in assisted reproduction and reports that benefit appears concentrated in defined subgroups rather than across all women stimulated.Systematic review. Alviggi et al., 2018 (Fertility and Sterility). PMID 29653717 ↗
- Pools trials of recombinant LH supplementation in women characterised as poor responders during IVF stimulation and reports outcomes for that subgroup specifically.Meta-analysis. Fan et al., 2013 (Gynecological Endocrinology). PMID 23347045 ↗
- Reports that recombinant human LH was associated with greater endometrial thickness in women undergoing assisted fertility procedures; endometrial thickness is an ultrasound marker and not a birth outcome.Systematic review. Mao et al., 2024 (Frontiers in Pharmacology). PMID 39135787 ↗
- Compares gonadotropin preparations carrying LH activity against each other during ovarian stimulation and reports comparative effectiveness across the included trials.Systematic review. Espinos et al., 2026 (Frontiers in Endocrinology). PMID 42100203 ↗
- Reviews the question of when recombinant LH supplementation during ovarian stimulation is worth adding, framing it as a subgroup decision rather than a routine one.Narrative review. Maher et al., 2018 (Fertility and Sterility). PMID 29653710 ↗
- Reviews the addition of recombinant LH to recombinant FSH therapy during gonadotropin stimulation and the patient characteristics used to decide on it.Narrative review. Younis et al., 2018 (Current Medical Research and Opinion). PMID 29292650 ↗
- Reports that recombinant LH supplementation during stimulation was associated with differences in early embryo morphokinetic timings; morphokinetics is a time-lapse marker, and an association of this kind is not a demonstrated cause.Cohort study. Stefano et al., 2026 (Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics). PMID 42399463 ↗
- A multicentre descriptive account of how recombinant human LH is used clinically beyond its narrowest indication; descriptive practice data rather than a controlled comparison.Cohort study. Busnelli et al., 2026 (Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology). PMID 42098729 ↗
- Compares recombinant FSH plus recombinant LH against recombinant FSH alone in an observational evaluation, reporting stimulation and laboratory measures.Cohort study. Ersoy et al., 2026 (Cureus). PMID 41939601 ↗
- Reviews hormone add-on strategies during ovarian stimulation for women with poor ovarian response and names LH activity among the strategies assessed.Systematic review. Etrusco et al., 2025 (Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics). PMID 41136866 ↗
- Examines LH supplementation against cumulative live birth rate in assisted reproduction cycles within a defined patient group; an observational association rather than a randomised comparison.Cohort study. Xia et al., 2026 (Frontiers in Endocrinology). PMID 42388874 ↗
These are the studies our verdict leans on, chosen from the 11 we read for Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone. The full linked list is below.
The studies, linked.
2 sources behind our Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone verdict: peer-reviewed studies and registered clinical trials. Every one links straight to PubMed, the journal, or ClinicalTrials.gov. Read them yourself.
- Clinical trialRecombinant LH Supplementation to Recombinant FSH During the Final Days of Controlled Ovarian Stimulation for IVF: a Multicentre, Prospective, Randomized, Controlled TrialClinicalTrials.gov ↗PHASE4 · 526 participants · Completed
- Clinical trialThe Luveris® In Vitro Fertilization Trial: The Effect of Recombinant Luteinizing Hormone on Follicular Response, Oocyte Quality, and Pregnancy in In-Vitro Fertilization Treatment Cycles in Women Without Endogenous LH Activity.ClinicalTrials.gov ↗PHASE4 · 14 participants · Terminated
Evidence surfaced via Semantic Scholar (Allen Institute for AI) and ClinicalTrials.gov. Ranked by study type and citation weight, not cherry-picked.
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.