HMG (Menotropins) Pen
Urinary FSH and LH in 3 mL of bacteriostatic water, labelled 150 IU per pen. Filled from a lot tested in the manufacturer’s own laboratory, with a certificate.
| Compound | HMG (Menotropins) Human menopausal gonadotropin: urinary FSH and LH; potency assigned in IU by bioassay |
|---|---|
| CAS number | 61489-71-2 |
| Molecular formula | Not applicable (glycoprotein mixture) |
| Theoretical mass | FSH about 30 kDa and LH about 28.5 kDa glycoform averages |
| Sequence / structure | Co-purified glycoprotein heterodimers: FSH = common α-subunit (92 aa) + FSHβ (111 aa); LH = common α-subunit (92 aa) + LHβ (121 aa); cystine-knot fold; N-glycosylated. |
| Contents | HMG (Menotropins): 150 IU per 3 mL pen |
| Form | Sterile aqueous solution in bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol), supplied in a 3 mL glass cartridge inside a preloaded autoinjector pen fitted with a needle |
| Storage, sealed | Store at 2–8 °C in the original carton, protected from light |
| Format | Solution in a 3 mL pre-filled pen |
Sizes and lots
- 150 IU · 1 pen — $88.99
- 150 IU · Kit of 10 — $791.12
Menotropins (hMG) is a urinary preparation of the two pituitary gonadotropins, FSH and LH, both glycoprotein hormones. This listing is a preloaded pen whose 3 mL glass cartridge holds menotropins already dissolved in bacteriostatic water, labelled 150 IU per pen, so there is no dried cake to handle. Work on menotropins covers how its potency is assigned by bioassay and randomized trials that set it against recombinant FSH.
What is in the pen
The cartridge holds 3 mL of sterile aqueous solution: menotropins in bacteriostatic water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol as an antimicrobial preservative. The label claim is 150 IU per pen, which works out to 50 IU per mL; the safety data sheet gives the protein content only as labelled, under 10% w/v. The sheet lists menotropins as an ingredient classified for reproductive toxicity (category 1B, H360) and for organ damage through prolonged or repeated exposure (H372), and benzyl alcohol as harmful if swallowed or inhaled, an eye irritant and a skin sensitizer.
Keep the pen at 2 to 8 °C in its carton and out of the light, capped once in use, and never frozen. Discard it if the solution has frozen, changed color or turned cloudy. The same preparation is sold dry as the HMG 75 IU vial, and the trade-offs between the two formats are covered in peptide pen vs vial.
What the research covers
FSH and LH share a common alpha subunit and differ in their beta chains, and both activities in menotropins are labelled in international units fixed by bioassay. The WHO collaborative study behind the International Standard for pituitary FSH found in vivo bioassay results consistent across laboratories while 19 immunoassay systems disagreed widely, and the unit was defined from the bioassay1.
Clinical interest in menotropins has centered on its LH activity. Andersen and colleagues compared highly purified menotropins with recombinant FSH, which has no LH activity, in a randomized assessor-blind trial in IVF and recorded differences in oocyte yield, embryo quality and hormone levels at the end of stimulation2. Those trials used pharmaceutical preparations, and the full summary of them is on the HMG 75 IU page.
A pen raises a question the dry vial does not: how a protein holds up in solution over time. Manning and colleagues reviewed the chemical and physical routes by which protein drugs degrade, and the means of stabilizing them both in aqueous solution and in the dried state3. None of the papers cited here measured menotropins in bacteriostatic water, so they give no shelf life for this pen, and the storage limits on the safety data sheet are the ones to follow. Human chorionic gonadotropin, a related placental glycoprotein hormone, has its own hCG guide.
Frequently asked questions
How does the pen differ from the HMG 75 IU vial?
The vial is a freeze-dried cake labelled 75 IU each of FSH and LH activity, kept dry until it is needed. The pen holds menotropins already in solution, labelled 150 IU in a 3 mL cartridge with benzyl alcohol as preservative, and gives a fixed concentration from the start.
Is there published data on menotropins kept in solution?
Not among the papers cited here. The stability review discusses proteins in general, and the clinical trials used pharmaceutical preparations. For the pen, follow the storage conditions on the safety data sheet: cold, dark, capped and never frozen.
References
- Storring PL, Gaines Das RE. The International Standard for Pituitary FSH: collaborative study of the Standard and of four other purified human FSH preparations of differing molecular composition by bioassays, receptor assays and different immunoassay systems. J Endocrinol. 1989;123(2):275-93. DOI · PubMed
- Andersen AN, Devroey P, Arce JC. Clinical outcome following stimulation with highly purified hMG or recombinant FSH in patients undergoing IVF: a randomized assessor-blind controlled trial. Hum Reprod. 2006;21(12):3217-27. DOI · PubMed
- Manning MC, Chou DK, Murphy BM, et al. Stability of protein pharmaceuticals: an update. Pharm Res. 2010;27(4):544-75. DOI · PubMed
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. Products have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.