The 6 Benefits of Sermorelin for Women

My energy is zapped.

My metabolism has stalled, and I’m not as strong and lean as I once was.

And what has happened to my libido?

These are all common complaints during midlife, as levels of estrogen, progesterone, and human growth hormone fluctuate and decline with age. Of course, there are many other symptoms of menopause, including brain fog, night sweats, mood swings, trouble sleeping, and anxiety. 

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other medications such as testosterone are often recommended to help alleviate these bothersome symptoms. “But more and more, women are looking for non-hormonal alternatives that offer benefits, whether it’s because they can’t take hormones or they just don’t want to,” says Kathleen Jordan, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Midi Health, a virtual healthcare clinic specializing in women’s midlife health with a focus on perimenopause and menopause care. 

Sermorelin is one such option that is believed to have many benefits when it increases the production of HGH, including:

• May promote lean muscle
• Support weight loss
• Improve energy levels
• Boost collagen production 

Dr. Jordan notes that she often prescribes sermorelin for women who are looking to “break a cycle.” For example, someone who lacks the energy to get to the gym, or is having trouble with mood or sleeping. “I might suggest a patient take it for three to six months to see how they feel,” she says. (You can take it for longer based on what your healthcare provider recommends.) 

Read on to learn more about sermorelin, including how it works, its efficacy, and possible side effects.

What Is Sermorelin?

Sermorelin is technically a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)—meaning that it doesn’t directly boost growth hormone levels, but it will cause your pituitary gland to manufacture your own HGH. And there’s some evidence that this can support muscle development, improve libido and fat metabolism, and help regulate blood sugar levels, according to Dr. Jordan.

Sermorelin was FDA-approved to treat growth hormone deficiency in children when researchers discovered it could stimulate the pituitary gland to pump out more HGH. However, it’s now frequently prescribed off-label—as a daily injectable—to promote growth hormone production in older men and women. 

Another perk: “It’s not classified as a controlled substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) the way other, similar treatments such as testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) are, which makes it more accessible to people,” adds Dr. Jordan.

6 Promising Benefits of Sermorelin for Women

The science behind sermorelin is largely informed by indirect evidence. While direct studies on sermorelin’s benefits in women remain limited, its mechanism—stimulating the body’s own production of human growth hormone (HGH)—is well understood. Because HGH itself has been extensively studied, many healthcare professionals rely on that research to guide their use and recommendations of sermorelin, along with anecdotal reports of symptom improvement from women.

1. Enhanced Weight Loss and Metabolism

Sermorelin has a couple of expected benefits in terms of weight and metabolism: “First, by stimulating your natural growth hormone, it can boost muscle mass through exercise, and that, in turn, will rev your metabolism—helping with weight loss,” says Dr. Jordan. “It also enables you to use sugar more efficiently.” That’s important because when blood sugar levels get out of whack, they’ve been shown to alter certain hormones, metabolic processes and fat cells in a way that promotes weight gain.

There’s no hard research showing exactly how much weight you could stand to lose using sermorelin, and a lot of the studies that do exist are in animals. That said, small studies and those in older men have shown a link between sermorelin and weight loss.

2. Improved Skin Health and Anti-Aging

Growth hormone makes us young and vital, so it makes sense that research—including a study in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology—shows that HGH protects your body’s cells against damage and death. It also affects the gene expression of collagen and elastin, which keeps skin looking plump and youthful, with fewer fine lines and wrinkles particularly after years of UV exposure. By adding sermorelin to your daily routine, it could support healthy skin and stave off some of the visible signs of aging. 

3. Increased Muscle Tone and Strength

The science on HGH’s effects on muscle strength is still a bit murky. Though HGH supplementation is banned in professional sports because it’s believed to give athletes an unfair edge in performance, the research on its benefits is mixed. At more modest levels, research (in older men) has shown HGH may have a positive impact on muscle tone, strength, and anaerobic exercise capacity (which can contribute to fat loss and muscle gain). And this is important, because there’s solid evidence that we begin naturally losing muscle around age 30—at a decline of 3 to 5% of muscle mass per decade. And that rate picks up even more after the age of 60. Regular exercise, including strength training, can help you hold onto more of that lean muscle mass—which can improve your metabolic rate and help with body composition and fat loss. Paired with strength training, the HGH action that sermorelin triggers could lead to even better results in terms of muscle mass and strength.

4. Improved Mood and Cognitive Function

Exactly how growth hormones could influence mood and brain function isn’t clearly understood. But there has been a clear correlation between decreasing levels of growth hormone and a susceptibility to feelings of stress, anxiety,  depression, and a decline in mental function. Supplementing with GHRH may have the opposite effect. 

One study that looked at mental capacity concluded that 20 weeks of GHRH supplementation resulted in increased GABA function. GABA is a neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in the central nervous system and is known to reduce the incidence of cognitive disorders. It can also boost mental function and mood. Other research has also shown a tie between growth hormone and better mental capacity, memory, and mood. 

5. Increased Energy Levels

Supplementing with sermorelin may have a dual benefit: One is boosting muscle mass, and the other is facilitating fat loss. Those two benefits together impact metabolism and overall energy levels and feelings of vitality. 

6. Improved Bone Density

Lower levels of growth hormone have been linked to reduced bone mineral density and greater odds of bone fragility. Insufficient amounts prevent your bones from rebuilding and remineralizing as you age. A study in Reumatologia showed that boosting HGH among those who were deficient could improve bone density and lower fracture risk (though, keep in mind, most adults aren’t deficient in growth hormone). “That could result in a reduction in the incidence of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women,” says Dr. Jordan.

Recommended Sermorelin Dosage for Women

A healthcare professional, like a Midi clinician, can prescribe a dosage of sermorelin based on many factors, including your health history and weight.

Typical dosages range from 200 mcg (0.2mg) to 1000 mcg (1mg), as an injectable that you can do on your own at home. We typically recommend 5 nights per week.

One thing to note is that it’s not covered by insurance and can cost $100 to $200 a month. Currently, you can only receive sermorelin as a compounded medication from a specialty pharmacy.

How Sermorelin Injections Work

Sermorelin has a halflife in your system of only around 20 minutes, says Dr. Jordan. After that it clears your system and your body takes over and begins producing its own growth hormone for the next 24 hours. (Being so short-lived in your system is part of what gives it such a good safety record.)

Dr. Jordan says that it can take 3 to 6 months to see the benefits of sermorelin. She also notes that you should establish a care plan with your provider about your goals and how long you may want to stay on it.

Potential Side Effects of Sermorelin

“Because sermorelin stimulates your own native growth hormone, it has a great safety profile,” says Dr. Jordan. “Your body has its own natural limits about how much it produces and absorbs, so you can’t really overdo it, which is why it’s so well tolerated and there are so few side effects.” 

That said, injection site reactions, mild headaches and dizziness can occur, but she says they’re usually mild, short lived, and affect very few people. 

Key Takeaways

• Sermorelin is a prescription peptide that is often used as a non-DEA regulated alternative to testosterone for improving muscle mass and overall energy, by stimulating the body’s production of human growth hormone (HGH). 
• Research on semorelin is limited, but benefits may include better muscle tone and strength, reduced body fat, as well as improved energy and cognition.
• Sermorelin has been shown to be safe and effective as an alternative to hormone therapy and testosterone therapy in women during perimenopause and menopause.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How quickly does sermorelin work?

“Sermorelin has a halflife of about 20 minutes, so it clears your body very quickly while stimulating your body’s own production of growth hormone, which has a longer-lasting effect. That said, you do need to keep up with daily at-home injections to keep getting the benefit,” says Dr. Jordan. And it can take 3 to 6 months to start to notice positive changes.

Does sermorelin affect estrogen?

“Sermorelin has not been shown to directly change estrogen levels,” says Dr. Jordan. “The stimulated growth hormone from sermorelin and estrogen do have natural interactions with each other, but this interaction is minimal and many women take sermorelin with menopause hormone therapy. Studies of women using both sermorelin and estrogen replacement therapies show good outcomes in body composition, skin, and overall health.”

Why would a doctor prescribe sermorelin?

A doctor or clinician may prescribe sermorelin to help improve sleep, build muscle mass, reduce fat mass, and aid in overall wellbeing.

What are the positive effects of sermorelin?

By stimulating your body’s own natural levels of growth hormone, sermorelin may boost muscle mass, decrease body fat, increase libido, improve energy levels and provide other benefits, such as healthier hair and skin.

Where is the best place to inject sermorelin?

Your healthcare provider will give you specifics on how to administer sermorelin, but often it’s injected in the abdomen, hip, thigh, or upper arm. And it’s recommended to change your injection site with each daily dose, so you’re not using the same spot over and over.

What happens when you take sermorelin?

Sermorelin signals to your pituitary gland to secrete human growth hormone—which naturally declines with age. 

What happens when you stop taking sermorelin?

Before you discontinue any medication, it’s important to consult your medical provider. While there doesn’t appear to be any big consequences to stopping your intake of sermorelin, having a plan for your continued good health is crucial.