Kisspeptin-10
The short form of kisspeptin, which switches on the reproductive axis in men but barely moves it in women at some cycle phases
Kisspeptin-10 is the ten-amino-acid active end of kisspeptin, the brain hormone that drives GnRH and so the whole reproductive axis. Given intravenously to healthy men it raises luteinising hormone within minutes. In women the response depends on the menstrual cycle phase. It is used in research on puberty, infertility and low testosterone, has no approval, and sits in FDA's Category 2 of compounding ingredients with significant safety concerns.
What is it?
Kisspeptin neurons in the hypothalamus trigger the pulses of GnRH that drive the pituitary's release of luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). People with mutations in kisspeptin or its receptor do not go through puberty, which made the peptide a tool for probing the reproductive axis. Kisspeptin-10, the last ten amino acids of the longer kisspeptin-54 (and written in some papers as kisspeptin 112-121), is the shortest fully active form.
In healthy men, an intravenous bolus raised LH rapidly and dose-dependently, with the largest response at 1 microgram per kilogram, and a 22.5-hour infusion increased the frequency of LH pulses. A 2026 study gave three men a continuous 24-hour infusion: LH rose five- to eightfold within 12 to 20 hours, then drifted down by 13% to 47% while the infusion continued, a first sign in humans of the dampening seen with continuous dosing in monkeys.
The response is sex-specific. In women in the early follicular phase, even maximal doses did not change gonadotropins, while responses appeared around ovulation. In conditions where the hypothalamus is suppressed, it has been used to show the axis can still respond: it stimulated LH and testosterone in men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone, and reactivated the axis in women whose periods had stopped because of high prolactin.
Researchers have also tried it as a diagnostic probe beyond reproduction. A 2026 study gave 12 healthy adults an intravenous bolus to see whether it releases vasopressin, as it does in animals, which could have made it a test for vasopressin deficiency; vasopressin did not change. A 2026 review describes kisspeptin as a test of hypothalamic function in delayed puberty, hypogonadism and amenorrhoea, a use still in research.
These are small physiology studies, not treatment trials, and kisspeptin-10 has no approved use. FDA's May 2026 list of compounding ingredients places it in Category 2, bulk substances that raise significant safety concerns, so pharmacies cannot use it under the interim policy.
Mechanism of Action
Kisspeptin-10 acts one step above GnRH: it tells the hypothalamus to release GnRH, which then tells the pituitary to release LH and FSH.
Kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R) on GnRH neurons
It activates the kisspeptin receptor on GnRH neurons, releasing GnRH; loss-of-function mutations in kisspeptin or its receptor prevent puberty.
LH and FSH release
The GnRH it releases raises LH and FSH from the pituitary; the size of the LH rise is used to judge whether the GnRH neurons respond.
Pulses versus continuous exposure
Boluses mimic the natural pulse; in a 2026 infusion study LH rose and then drifted down while dosing continued, the pattern of desensitisation.
Cycle and sex dependence
Women early in the menstrual cycle barely respond while men respond at low doses, so results in one group do not transfer to another.
Published Research
These are human studies of kisspeptin-10, read from their PubMed abstracts.
Healthy men: bolus and infusion
An intravenous bolus raised LH rapidly and dose-dependently, maximally at 1 µg/kg (from 4.1 to 12.4 IU/L at 30 minutes); a 22.5-hour infusion raised LH from 5.4 to 20.8 IU/L and increased pulse frequency.
Men and women respond differently
LH and FSH rose in men at doses as low as 0.3 and 1.0 nmol/kg, but gonadotropins did not change in women in the follicular phase even at maximal intravenous, subcutaneous or infused doses.
Men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone
In five hypotestosteronaemic men with type 2 diabetes, compared with seven healthy men, kisspeptin-10 stimulated LH and testosterone secretion.
Women with high prolactin and absent periods
Kisspeptin-10 raised LH and FSH, increased LH pulses and raised oestradiol, reactivating the axis in this exploratory study.
Continuous 24-hour infusion in three men
At 12.5 µg/kg/h, LH rose from 2.8-3.8 to 17.5-30.6 mIU/mL within 12 to 20 hours, then fell 13% to 47% by the end of the infusion; FSH and testosterone rose modestly.
No vasopressin release in 12 adults
An intravenous bolus of 0.24 nmol/kg (kisspeptin 112-121) did not change serum vasopressin over 60 minutes, so the study does not support it as a test for vasopressin deficiency.
Kisspeptin as a test of hypothalamic function
The review sets out how kisspeptin responses could separate hypothalamic from other causes in disorders such as delayed puberty, hypogonadism, hyperprolactinaemia and functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea, a diagnostic use still under study.
Dosing Data
Kisspeptin-10 has no approved dose. Research protocols gave it intravenously as a bolus or infusion, and sometimes under the skin, with doses chosen per kilogram of body weight.
Educational information, not medical advice. Each dose above is tagged with its source: an approved label, a published human study, animal data, or amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.
Side Effects & Contraindications
Reported Side Effects
From the small studies above.
Contraindications & Cautions
Investigational; there is no label.
Legal Status
Kisspeptin-10 is investigational.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What does kisspeptin-10 do?
It activates the kisspeptin receptor upstream of GnRH, which raises LH and FSH. In men, an intravenous dose raises LH within minutes.
?Does it work the same in women?
No. Women in the early follicular phase showed no gonadotropin response even at maximal doses, while responses appeared around ovulation.
?Can a pharmacy compound kisspeptin-10?
No. FDA lists it in Category 2 of nominated compounding ingredients, those with significant safety concerns, as of its May 14, 2026 update.
?Is kisspeptin-10 the same as kisspeptin-54?
Kisspeptin-10 is the last ten amino acids of kisspeptin-54; both activate the same receptor, but kisspeptin-54 lasts longer and is the form used in most IVF research.
?Why doesn't it work in some women?
In studies, women in the early follicular phase did not respond even to maximal doses, while responses appeared around ovulation; the reason is still being studied.
?Can kisspeptin-10 raise testosterone?
In a small 2013 study of five men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone, it stimulated LH and testosterone acutely. That was a physiology test, not a treatment trial, and no study has shown lasting benefit.
?Has kisspeptin-10 been tested as a fertility treatment?
Not as a treatment. The studies on this page measure hormone responses; fertility research such as triggering egg maturation in IVF has mostly used kisspeptin-54.
?Is kisspeptin-10 safe to inject?
The research studies were short and supervised, and they report hormone changes rather than long-term safety. FDA's compounding list places it in Category 2 for significant safety concerns, and products sold online are unregulated.
References
- [fda] FDA. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A: Category 2 includes kisspeptin-10 (updated May 14, 2026). Read September 30, 2026.
- [pubmed] George JT, et al. "Kisspeptin-10 is a potent stimulator of LH and increases pulse frequency in men." J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2011;96(8):E1228-36. PMID: 21632807.
- [pubmed] Jayasena CN, et al. "The effects of kisspeptin-10 on reproductive hormone release show sexual dimorphism in humans." J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2011;96(12):E1963-72. PMID: 21976724.
- [pubmed] George JT, et al. "Exploring the pathophysiology of hypogonadism in men with type 2 diabetes: kisspeptin-10 stimulates serum testosterone and LH secretion in men with type 2 diabetes and mild biochemical hypogonadism." Clin Endocrinol (Oxf), 2013;79(1):100-4. PMID: 23153270.
- [pubmed] Millar RP, et al. "Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian Axis Reactivation by Kisspeptin-10 in Hyperprolactinemic Women With Chronic Amenorrhea." J Endocr Soc, 2017;1(11):1362-1371. PMID: 29264460.
- [pubmed] Naveed A, et al. "Dynamic modulation of LH secretion by continuous kisspeptin infusion in healthy men." Hormones (Athens), 2026. PMID: 42230485.
- [pubmed] Galbiati F, et al. "Intravenous kisspeptin 112-121 bolus does not acutely impact circulating vasopressin in humans." J Neuroendocrinol, 2026;38(1):e70114. PMID: 41273106.
- [pubmed] Pierret ACS, et al. "Kisspeptin as a test of hypothalamic dysfunction in pubertal and reproductive disorders." Andrology, 2026;14(4):1002-1016. PMID: 39834030.
Sources & Citations
Every study on this page was read from its PubMed record; for approved products, indications and pharmacology come from the FDA label on DailyMed and approval details from Drugs@FDA, read September 30, 2026. Grey Peptides sells nothing and links to no vendor.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.