{"id":"kisspeptin","name":"Kisspeptin","aliases":["kisspeptin-10","kisspeptin-54","metastin","KP-10","KP-54"],"url":"https://lyoresearch.com/compounds/kisspeptin","summary":"Kisspeptin is the hormone that switches on the reproductive axis: it makes the hypothalamus release GnRH, which drives LH, FSH and the sex hormones. In people it reliably raises LH within minutes, has been used as an egg-maturation trigger in IVF in phase 2 trials, and in two small randomised crossover trials at Imperial College London (32 women, 32 men) increased sexual-brain activation and reduced sexual aversion in people with low sexual desire. All of that is research-scale. It is not an approved medicine anywhere and is prohibited for male athletes.","overall_grade":"C","overall_grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","human_trials":"10+ small studies","regulatory_status":"Not approved","outcomes":[{"outcome":"LH and testosterone release","grade":"B","grade_meaning":"probable, not settled","effect_size":"large","adverse":false,"human_studies":"Many small studies","evidence":"Single doses of kisspeptin-10 or -54 raise LH within 30 minutes in healthy men and women — one of the most reproducible findings in human neuroendocrinology. Continuous exposure desensitises the response.","references":[{"citation":"Dhillo WS, et al. Kisspeptin-54 stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis in human males; and subsequent physiology studies from the same group.","where":"J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2005 onward","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=kisspeptin+Dhillo+LH+humans"}]},{"outcome":"IVF egg maturation trigger","grade":"C","grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","effect_size":"moderate","adverse":false,"human_studies":"2 phase 2 trials","evidence":"Kisspeptin-54 as the final maturation trigger in 53 and then 60 women at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation: live births achieved with no cases of severe OHSS. Not compared head-to-head with standard triggers at scale.","references":[{"citation":"Abbara A, et al. Efficacy of kisspeptin-54 to trigger oocyte maturation in women at high risk of OHSS during IVF therapy.","where":"J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2015","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=kisspeptin-54+trigger+oocyte+maturation+OHSS+Abbara"}]},{"outcome":"Sexual desire (women with HSDD)","grade":"C","grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","effect_size":"small","adverse":false,"human_studies":"1 crossover RCT (n=32)","evidence":"Two-visit double-blind crossover in 32 premenopausal women: kisspeptin infusion increased activation in sexual-processing brain regions on fMRI and reduced sexual aversion scores. A mechanism study, not a treatment trial.","references":[{"citation":"Thurston L, et al. Effects of kisspeptin administration in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: a randomized clinical trial.","where":"JAMA Netw Open, 2022; DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36131","url":"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797718"}]},{"outcome":"Sexual desire and arousal (men with HSDD)","grade":"C","grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","effect_size":"small","adverse":false,"human_studies":"1 crossover RCT (n=32)","evidence":"Same design in 32 men: increased sexual-brain activation and a modest increase in penile tumescence to erotic stimuli. Single infusion; no data on repeated use.","references":[{"citation":"Mills EG, et al. Effects of kisspeptin on sexual brain processing and penile tumescence in men with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: a randomized clinical trial.","where":"JAMA Netw Open, 2023; DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.54313","url":"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2800937"}]},{"outcome":"Safety","grade":"C","grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":true,"human_studies":"Small studies","evidence":"No side effects reported in the HSDD trials; the fertility studies reported no severe OHSS. Nothing is known about repeated self-administration.","references":[{"citation":"Thurston L, et al. Effects of kisspeptin administration in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: a randomized clinical trial.","where":"JAMA Netw Open, 2022; DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36131","url":"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797718"},{"citation":"Mills EG, et al. Effects of kisspeptin on sexual brain processing and penile tumescence in men with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: a randomized clinical trial.","where":"JAMA Netw Open, 2023; DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.54313","url":"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2800937"}]}],"regions":[{"region":"European Union","status":"Unauthorised medicinal product","note":"No marketing authorisation. Supplying it for human use is an offence under national medicines law."},{"region":"United States","status":"Not approved; compounding barred","note":"Kisspeptin-10 remains in Category 2 of the FDA's 503A list (significant safety risks) as of April 2026 — it may not be compounded."},{"region":"United Kingdom","status":"Unlicensed medicine","note":"Used only in academic trials; supply for human use is an offence."},{"region":"Australia","status":"Schedule 4, unapproved","note":"Prescription-only substance not on the ARTG."},{"region":"Canada","status":"Not authorised","note":"No DIN; selling it is illegal."},{"region":"Sport (WADA)","status":"Prohibited at all times (males)","note":"S2.2.1: 'kisspeptin and its agonist analogues', prohibited in males as an LH/testosterone releaser."}],"faq":[{"q":"Does kisspeptin increase testosterone?","a":"Acutely, yes: a single dose reliably raises LH and then testosterone in men within an hour or two. Repeated or continuous exposure desensitises the axis and can lower it. That acute effect is why it is banned for male athletes."},{"q":"Is kisspeptin a treatment for low libido?","a":"Not yet. Two single-dose crossover trials in 32 women and 32 men showed increased sexual-brain activation and reduced sexual aversion. They were designed to test a mechanism, not to treat anyone, and no trial has tested weeks of use."},{"q":"Is kisspeptin used in IVF?","a":"In research. Phase 2 trials used kisspeptin-54 as the trigger for final egg maturation in women at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation, with live births and no severe OHSS. It is not a standard-of-care trigger."}],"references":[{"cite":"Dhillo WS, et al. Kisspeptin-54 stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis in human males; and subsequent physiology studies from the same group.","where":"J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2005 onward","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=kisspeptin+Dhillo+LH+humans","note":"The foundational human dosing studies."},{"cite":"Abbara A, et al. Efficacy of kisspeptin-54 to trigger oocyte maturation in women at high risk of OHSS during IVF therapy.","where":"J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2015","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=kisspeptin-54+trigger+oocyte+maturation+OHSS+Abbara","note":"Phase 2; follows Jayasena 2014 (n=53)."},{"cite":"Thurston L, et al. Effects of kisspeptin administration in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: a randomized clinical trial.","where":"JAMA Netw Open, 2022; DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36131","url":"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797718","note":"32 premenopausal women, double-blind crossover."},{"cite":"Mills EG, et al. Effects of kisspeptin on sexual brain processing and penile tumescence in men with hypoactive sexual desire disorder: a randomized clinical trial.","where":"JAMA Netw Open, 2023; DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.54313","url":"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2800937","note":"32 men, double-blind crossover."}],"last_reviewed":"2026-09-03","literature_searched_to":"2026-09-03","changelog":[{"date":"2026-09-03","note":"Initial publication from the Imperial College physiology, IVF and HSDD trials."}],"license":"CC BY 4.0 — cite as “LYO Research” with a link.","methodology":"https://lyoresearch.com/methodology"}