HMG (Human Menopausal Gonadotropin)

The ten citations, from 1990 to 2026, concern ovarian stimulation almost entirely. Three are randomised trials, from 1991, 2020 and 2025. Four are other clinical studies in women undergoing intrauterine insemination, IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), one each from 1990 and 2000 and two from 2024. Two are reviews, from 2015 and 2026, comparing HMG with recombinant FSH-based preparations, and one is a 2024 study in sheep.

Comparisons with FSH mostly found similar results. A 1990 study found no significant difference between HMG and FSH cycles in peak oestradiol, medication used, oocytes aspirated, embryos transferred or pregnancies, and a 2024 study in women with poor ovarian reserve found neither highly purified HMG nor recombinant FSH superior. A 2020 assessor-blinded trial in high responders reported outcomes comparable to recombinant FSH, and fewer adverse events, pregnancy loss among them, in the HMG arm. In the other direction, the two reviews reported more oocytes retrieved with recombinant preparations.

Other studies varied what accompanied HMG in a stimulation cycle. A 2025 randomised trial in women with polycystic ovary syndrome found that a higher letrozole dose before HMG did not raise the pregnancy rate, and its authors cautioned that it may increase the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancy. A 1991 randomised IVF trial compared menotropin alone with two GnRH-agonist approaches and found no clear difference between the two agonist approaches. A 2024 study reported comparable outcomes after fresh and frozen embryo transfer whether LH activity came from HMG or from low-dose hCG, and a 2000 study reported similar stimulation measures and pregnancy rates for two routes of administration. In sheep, a 2024 study reported that HMG induced fertile oestrus in ewes synchronised with progesterone outside the breeding season.

Every human study here compares HMG with another preparation or varies how it is used, so the results describe relative performance within a stimulation cycle rather than the action of HMG on its own. Populations differ widely, from high responders to women with poor ovarian reserve or polycystic ovary syndrome, which limits how far any one result carries to another group.