Kisspeptin

Not FDA-approved

Also known as: Kisspeptin-54, Metastin, Kisspeptin-10

Structure source: UniProt Q15726, residues 68–121 (kisspeptin-54, with an amide at the end). Kisspeptin-10 is its last 10 amino acids.

Kisspeptin is a natural hormone that starts the chain of signals controlling reproduction. It prompts the brain to release GnRH, which drives the pituitary hormones LH and FSH and, in turn, testosterone and estrogen. Small, short-term human studies have tested it in low sexual desire and in reproductive hormone disorders.

How it works

It binds the kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R, once called GPR54) on GnRH-releasing nerve cells in the hypothalamus.
GnRH then signals the pituitary gland to release LH and FSH. These drive testosterone production in men and estrogen and progesterone production in women.
The body cuts several lengths of kisspeptin from one precursor protein. Kisspeptin-54 is the longest, and kisspeptin-10 is its last 10 amino acids.
In brain scans of people with low sexual desire, kisspeptin changed activity in regions that process sexual and attraction cues.
In lab studies on human cells, it helped stem cells develop into bone-building cells and reduced the activity of bone-dissolving cells. In a small trial in healthy men, one infusion briefly raised osteocalcin, a blood marker of bone formation. Bone strength and fractures were not studied.

Evidence

Low sexual desire (HSDD)

Early human evidenceCEBM Level 2–3

Two small crossover trials compared one kisspeptin-54 infusion with placebo while participants watched sexual videos. In 32 men, it changed activity in brain sexual-processing regions. In a secondary measure, penile swelling during the videos was up to 56% greater than on placebo. In 32 premenopausal women, it changed brain responses to erotic videos and attractive faces.

Reproductive hormone release

Early human evidenceCEBM Level 2–3

In randomized, placebo-controlled studies, kisspeptin-54 robustly raised LH. In a 2025 study, a nasal spray raised LH in healthy men and women. It also raised LH in women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea, whose periods stop because the brain's reproductive signal is turned down.

Caveats

The human studies described here used kisspeptin-54, mostly as an IV infusion in a research unit.
Kisspeptin-10, the short fragment, raised LH in small studies in men and in women just before ovulation, but not early in the menstrual cycle.
The trials were small and gave a single dose per visit, so long-term benefit and safety are unknown.
In a randomized crossover study of 95 adults, a kisspeptin-54 infusion did not change anxiety, cortisol, blood pressure or heart rate.
No side effects were reported in the women's desire trial or the nasal spray study.

References

Reviewed by Shubham Gupta, MD — Founder & President · October 31, 2026

This page is for education only. It is not medical advice. Decisions about any treatment belong with a physician who knows your history.