What is an HCG diet?

The HCG diet is a dietary program developed by a British endocrinologist named Simeons in the 1950s that promises rapid weight loss.The development of the diet took place under ethically questionable circumstances and the promotion of the diet must also be viewed critically. The diet, which was published in 1954, recommended an ultra-low calorie diet – less than 500 calories daily – in combination with an injection of HCG. Although the diet is still advertised by some providers, it is highly controversial today. HCG has no approval for weight loss and is mostly purchased on the Internet.

Does it make sense to take HCG to lose weight?

The HCG diet experiences from time to time a hype, which is propagated particularly in Internet forums. Nevertheless, one thing must be expressed quite clearly: The hormone HCG is not approved for use in weight loss. There is also no proof of benefit in this respect.

This diet is therefore not scientifically based. The weight loss in people who have followed an HCG diet is due to the extreme calorie reduction. However, even this is not healthy at all, as less than 500 calories are usually consumed per day. Often the participants of the HCG diet get themselves HCG preparations on the Internet to save costs. Here the second risk of the diet is hidden: contaminated or even counterfeit products are not uncommon and can have considerable health consequences.

What are the pregnancy hormones after an abortion?

After an abortion the hormone balance of the woman changes. The beta-HCG, which can be detected during pregnancy, is then no longer produced. Immediately after the abortion the level may be slightly increased.

After a few days, however, the HCG is usually no longer detectable. After one month at the latest the value should no longer be detectable. Basically the hormone balance normalizes to the level that is normally present in a woman. Hormones such as progesterone, estrogen, prolactin and oxytocin are always present in certain amounts – even outside of pregnancy.