Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Inject Hormone From Pregnant Ladies' Urine, Lose Weight?
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 8, 2011
Modified Mar 8, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 8, 2011
Modified Mar 8, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Women across America "are streaming into doctors’ offices and weight-loss clinics" and paying upward of $1,000 a month for syringes and a supply of the pregnancy hormone hCG, the NY Times reports in a fascinating article about the diet trend. The hormone, which is derived from the urine of pregnant women, is highly controversial—the FDA has warned that hCG has not been shown to help weight loss or to “decrease hunger and discomfort” from low-calorie diets. But hCG seems to be popular once again, and some doctors are happy to prescribe it.
"From an anecdotal point of view, physicians all around the country have seen people losing a tremendous amount of weight with this stuff, and you cannot afford to ignore that," says society doctor Lionel Bissoon, who cannot afford to ignore the $1,150 he gets from each patient who starts up his hCG program. Skeptics say hCG amounts to little more than a placebo, and that the weight loss is attributable to the near-starvation died that many users adhere to: 500 calories a day. In 1995, an analysis found that only two out of 14 clinical trials showed that users of hCG lost more weight, felt less hunger and had an improved body shape. And one of those trials was co-written by an advocate of the diet.
The FDA also warns that one patient on the hCG diet had a pulmonary embolism! Still, the law of averages says you'll be fine on a 500 calorie diet and daily hormone injections. "I had a friend who did it before her wedding," one 35-year-old woman tells the Times. "She looks great." And Dr. Martin Keltz, director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at St. Lukes, says it's possible hCG helps with muscle town. "There’s a reason Manny Ramirez took it," he tells the Times, referring to the baseball star who was suspended for 50 games in 2009 for hCG use. And did you see how svelte Ramirez looked in his wedding gown? Eat your heart out, A-Rod!
Tagged
diet
hcg
Human chorionic gonadotropin
manny ramirez
weight loss
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .