hCG half-life
hCG has an elimination half-life of about 30 h (range 23–36 h). Use the free calculator to plot how hCG levels rise and decay across your own doses.
Reference data
- Half-life
- 30 h (range 23–36 h)
- Route
- SC / IM
- Category
- Reproductive & hormonal
- Evidence
- Clinical
- Also known as
- Human chorionic gonadotropin, Pregnyl, Novarel, Ovidrel
Label: terminal half-life of roughly 1–1.5 days.
How much hCG remains over time
For a single dose with first-order elimination, half of what remains is cleared every 30 h.
| Half-lives | Time after dose | Remaining | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 h | 50% | 50% |
| 2 | 2.5 days | 25% | 75% |
| 3 | 3.8 days | 12.5% | 87.5% |
| 4 | 5 days | 6.25% | 93.75% |
| 5 | 6.3 days | 3.13% | 96.88% |
hCG FAQ
What is the half-life of hCG?
hCG has an elimination half-life of about 30 h (range 23–36 h) (SC / IM). Label: terminal half-life of roughly 1–1.5 days.
How long does hCG stay in your system?
With first-order elimination, about 97% of a single dose is cleared after five half-lives, roughly 6.3 days for hCG. Individual clearance varies with dose, injection site, kidney function and other factors.
How long until hCG reaches steady state?
With consistent repeated dosing, levels approach steady state after about 4 to 5 half-lives, or roughly 5 days to 6.3 days for hCG.
How reliable is this hCG half-life?
Evidence level: Clinical. Based on a regulatory label or well-replicated human pharmacokinetic data.