Cognitive · Reference
SYNAPSE Blend for Women: What the Research Has Looked At, and the Pregnancy Rule
This page covers what SYNAPSE is, what research has and has not looked at in relation to women, how it sits alongside perimenopause and menopause, the considerations that change for women, and how Pepti supplies it. The full reference is what is the SYNAPSE blend, and the evidence component by component is in SYNAPSE blend benefits. The companion page is SYNAPSE blend for men.
SYNAPSE has never been studied as a blend, and none of the human trials behind its four components, Semax, Selank, MOTS-c and tesamorelin, was designed around women or reported a separate result for them. The research most often quoted for women is MOTS-c work in ovariectomised mice, a standard animal model of post-menopausal metabolic change, which reported less fat accumulation and less bone loss. The most important fact for women comes from the approved tesamorelin product's label: it is contraindicated in pregnancy because animal data describe fetal harm, and it advises against breastfeeding, so SYNAPSE is not used in either. Compounded SYNAPSE is a prescription injection and is not FDA approved.
This page covers what SYNAPSE is, what research has and has not looked at in relation to women, how it sits alongside perimenopause and menopause, the considerations that change for women, and how Pepti supplies it. The full reference is what is the SYNAPSE blend, and the evidence component by component is in SYNAPSE blend benefits. The companion page is SYNAPSE blend for men.
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
The short answer
| Question | What the live research shows | Strength of evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Has SYNAPSE been studied in women? | No. The blend has never been studied in anyone | None |
| Tesamorelin and visceral fat | Two phase 3 RCTs, 806 patients pooled, adults with HIV; not reported by sex | Strong for that population; nothing specific to women |
| MOTS-c after loss of ovarian hormones | Less fat accumulation (2019) and less bone loss (2016) in ovariectomised mice | Animal only |
| Semax and Selank in women | No results reported separately for women | No female-specific data |
| Menopause symptoms | Not studied; no component is hormone therapy | None |
| Pregnancy | Tesamorelin is contraindicated on the approved label; animal data describe fetal harm | Clear exclusion |
| Breastfeeding | The approved tesamorelin label advises against it | Clear exclusion |
The honest summary: a coherent set of component rationales, a mouse story that happens to use a menopause model, and nothing yet in women.
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
What SYNAPSE is, in one paragraph
SYNAPSE is four separately studied peptides dissolved together in one 5 mL vial: 5 mg Semax, 5 mg Selank, 10 mg MOTS-c and 10 mg tesamorelin. Each 0.25 mL dose carries 0.25 mg Semax, 0.25 mg Selank, 0.5 mg MOTS-c and 0.5 mg tesamorelin, in a split fixed by the formulation. Semax and Selank are described acting on the brain's own signalling, attention-related growth-factor pathways and the GABA system that governs the stress response; MOTS-c on cellular fuel sensing through AMPK; and tesamorelin on the pituitary's own growth hormone pulse. No component acts on estrogen, progesterone or the ovarian axis, and none is hormone therapy.
| Component | Per dose | What the description rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Semax | 0.25 mg | Rat BDNF work; Russian stroke trials, intranasal |
| Selank | 0.25 mg | Rat and cell GABA work; Russian anxiety-disorder trials, intranasal |
| MOTS-c | 0.5 mg | Mouse and cell AMPK work, including ovariectomised-mouse studies |
| Tesamorelin | 0.5 mg | Randomised placebo-controlled human trials of the approved product |
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
What research has looked at in relation to women
MOTS-c in ovariectomised mice
A 2019 study in the Journal of Molecular Medicine reported less fat accumulation, less inflammation in white fat and more brown-fat activity in ovariectomised mice treated with MOTS-c, and a 2016 study in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications reported less bone loss on micro-CT. Removing the ovaries is how researchers model the metabolic change after menopause in animals. These are mouse findings; there are no randomised trials of MOTS-c in humans of either sex. More in MOTS-c for women.
Tesamorelin: trials that did not report women separately
Tesamorelin's phase 3 trials, pooled across 806 patients with HIV and abdominal fat accumulation, reported a reduction of about 15% in visceral fat on CT at 26 weeks, with no change in the fat under the skin. A 2012 trial of 60 abdominally obese adults with reduced growth hormone secretion reported the same selective effect outside HIV. None reports results by sex in the live research, so nobody can say from it whether women respond as men do. The clearest sex-specific finding in the GHRH class comes from a related molecule: in a 1997 trial of ten women and nine men aged 55 to 71, a GHRH(1-29) analogue raised growth hormone and IGF-1 in both, but the gains in lean mass and insulin sensitivity were seen in men only. More in tesamorelin for women.
Semax and Selank
Selank's human evidence is small Russian trials in patients with generalised anxiety disorder, neurasthenia and related disorders, compared with benzodiazepines; Semax's is Russian clinical work in stroke and cerebrovascular disease. Both used intranasal products, and neither reports separate results for women.
The one cognition trial
A 2012 Archives of Neurology trial randomised 152 adults aged 55 to 87 to tesamorelin 1 mg or placebo at bedtime for 20 weeks and reported a favourable effect on a cognitive composite, driven mainly by executive function. It was tesamorelin alone, at twice the SYNAPSE dose, it is not reported by sex in the live pages, and its authors called for longer trials. It is not evidence about this blend.
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
SYNAPSE and the menopause transition
Through the menopausal transition, fat shifts toward the abdomen, lean mass declines and insulin sensitivity worsens, and fatigue, poor sleep and low mood are common in these years. That combination is why a blend with a cognitive name and a metabolic core comes up for women in their forties and fifties.
What SYNAPSE does not do is equally important. No component is hormone therapy, and none has been tested for hot flashes, night sweats, sleep, bone or any menopause outcome in women. Fatigue, poor sleep and low mood in these years are often the transition itself, or the night sweats and fragmented sleep it brings; if the transition is the driver, it belongs in the conversation with your physician rather than being treated around. Pepti does not prescribe menopausal hormone therapy. The wider picture is in peptides for menopause and peptides for women.
Brain fog has findable causes that are more common in women
Iron deficiency and an underactive thyroid produce fatigue, brain fog, hair shedding and low mood, and both are far more common in women than in men. Low B12 does the same. None of them responds to SYNAPSE, and each is inexpensive to find. More in peptides for brain fog and focus.
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
What changes for women
Pregnancy: not used
The approved tesamorelin labeling lists pregnancy as a contraindication, on the reasoning that visceral fat increases during pregnancy as a normal change, modifying it offers no known benefit, and animal data describe fetal harm. It directs discontinuation if a patient becomes pregnant while taking it. MOTS-c, Semax and Selank have no pregnancy safety data. Because tesamorelin is in every SYNAPSE dose, the blend carries the same rule. If you are pregnant or think you may be, tell your physician; if you become pregnant on treatment, stop and contact them the same day. See can you take peptides while pregnant.
Trying to conceive
Because tesamorelin is contraindicated in pregnancy, the usual default is to stop before you start trying rather than when a test is positive. No study has looked at any SYNAPSE component and fertility. Raise it with your physician first. See do peptides affect fertility.
Breastfeeding
The approved tesamorelin labeling states there are no data on tesamorelin in human milk or on effects on a breastfed child, and advises that mothers should not breastfeed while receiving it. SYNAPSE is not used while breastfeeding.
Cancer history, including breast cancer
Tesamorelin raises growth hormone and IGF-1. The approved label contraindicates it in active malignancy, requires any prior malignancy to be inactive with treatment complete, and states that the effects of prolonged IGF-1 elevation are unknown. A personal or strong family history of breast, ovarian or endometrial cancer goes on the intake in full, and specialist input comes first. See can peptides cause cancer.
Blood sugar
Growth hormone reduces insulin sensitivity, and the approved tesamorelin label records new-onset diabetes in 5% of treated patients against 1% on placebo, at 2 mg daily. Insulin sensitivity already tends to worsen through the menopausal transition. MOTS-c is described in mice improving insulin sensitivity, and nobody has measured the two together. Diabetes, prediabetes or a borderline fasting glucose belongs on the intake.
Anxiety, mood and psychiatric medication
Selank is described around the GABA system that benzodiazepines act on, and Semax was reported in a mouse study to potentiate amphetamine-induced dopamine release. No component has been studied alongside SSRIs, SNRIs or stimulants. Anyone on existing psychiatric treatment should have it reviewed by the prescriber before adding SYNAPSE, and SYNAPSE is not a treatment for an anxiety disorder, depression or ADHD. More in peptides for anxiety and mood.
Contraception and the cycle
No component acts on the ovarian axis, and no study in the live research has looked at cycle effects or hormonal contraception. Report any cycle change; it is more likely to be the transition or another cause, but it should be looked at.
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
What the evidence does not establish
- Any effect of SYNAPSE in women. The blend has never been studied.
- That women and men respond to tesamorelin the same way. Its trials are not reported by sex.
- That MOTS-c's ovariectomised-mouse findings apply to women after menopause.
- Any effect on menopause symptoms, bone, hormones or the cycle.
- A focus or memory effect in healthy women of any age.
- Long-term safety over years of continuous use.
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
Side effects
Nothing in the live research reports SYNAPSE's side effects by sex. The tesamorelin rates come from the approved product's label at 2 mg daily, four times the SYNAPSE dose.
| What is reported | Usually attributed to | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Injection-site redness, mild soreness, occasional bruising | Any injection; 17% on the tesamorelin label against 6% on placebo | Rotate sites |
| Joint aches, swelling in the hands or feet, tingling | Tesamorelin (fluid-related growth hormone effects) | Message your care team |
| Thirst or frequent urination | A possible rise in blood sugar (tesamorelin) | Message your care team |
| Brief jitteriness, a faster pulse or light-headedness after a dose | MOTS-c | Usually settles; report it if not |
| Early fatigue, or a wired feeling | Selank | Usually settles; report it if it persists |
| Restlessness if dosed late in the day | Semax | Tell your care team; do not change timing yourself |
| Facial or throat swelling, widespread hives, breathing difficulty | Possible with any injected medication | Call 911 first, then tell your physician |
The full list is in SYNAPSE blend side effects. Tested athletes should know that tesamorelin (S2.2.4) and MOTS-c (S4.4.1) are named on the 2026 WADA Prohibited List, prohibited at all times; the rule is not sex-specific.
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
How Pepti supplies SYNAPSE
| Product | What is in it | Typical directions | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SYNAPSE Blend | 5 mL: Semax 1 mg/mL, Selank 1 mg/mL, MOTS-c 2 mg/mL, tesamorelin 2 mg/mL | 0.25 mL (25 units) subcutaneously once daily Monday through Friday | $279/mo |
| Semax + Selank | 1 mg Semax and 1 mg Selank | Printed on the vial | $259/mo |
| RADIANCE | 50 mg GHK-Cu and 10 mg tesamorelin in 5 mL | Printed on the vial | $249/mo |
| ELEVATE | 5 mg Semax, 5 mg Selank, 10 mg BPC-157, 10 mg KPV in 5 mL | 0.25 mL (25 units) once daily Monday through Friday | $249/mo |
Semax + Selank is the brain-only option without tesamorelin, so without tesamorelin's pregnancy, glucose and fluid considerations. A SYNAPSE vial holds 20 doses, about four weeks, which is why refills run every 28 days, one vial per fill. Every price is all-in, covering medication, physician review, refill management and shipping, with no membership fee. Pepti is cash-pay and does not bill insurance. Vials arrive ready to use with sterile syringes and alcohol prep pads, shipped refrigerated with ice packs. Your physician sets your directions after reviewing your intake, and they are printed on the vial. The arithmetic is in SYNAPSE blend dosage.
SYNAPSE is compounded; compounded medications are not FDA approved. Tesamorelin is the active ingredient of an FDA-approved product, but compounded tesamorelin is not that product. In July 2026 the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted to recommend adding Semax and MOTS-c to the 503A Bulks List, with the final determinations pending, and Selank's nomination was withdrawn.
SYNAPSE Blend for Women
Where to get SYNAPSE prescribed
SYNAPSE cannot be bought legitimately without a prescription. Sites selling multi-peptide vials "for research use only" are not accountable for identity, purity, sterility or concentration. The prescription route:
- Complete a free online intake covering your history, including pregnancy, breastfeeding, plans to conceive, cancer history, glucose and any psychiatric medication.
- A physician licensed in your state reviews it, usually within 24 hours.
- If it is appropriate, a PCAB-accredited, FDA-registered US 503A compounding pharmacy prepares it to that prescription. Lot test results are at /quality/lab-results.
- It ships refrigerated with your directions printed on the vial.
- Your care team stays reachable for questions and side effects.
Step by step: how to get SYNAPSE blend prescribed online. Bloodwork is not required for any Pepti treatment. If your physician wants labs for your care, they'll ask through your account.
References
What this is based on.
References
- Dolotov OV, Karpenko EA, Inozemtseva LS et al.. Semax, an analog of ACTH(4-10) with cognitive effects, regulates BDNF and trkB expression in the rat hippocampus · Brain Res (2006) · PMID 16996037
- Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG et al.. The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance · Cell Metab (2015) · PMID 25738459
- Falutz J, Allas S, Blot K et al.. Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with HIV · N Engl J Med (2007) · PMID 18057338
- Friedman SD, Baker LD, Borson S et al.. Growth hormone-releasing hormone effects on brain γ-aminobutyric acid levels in mild cognitive impairment and healthy aging · JAMA Neurol (2013) · PMID 23689947
- Baker LD, Barsness SM, Borson S et al.. Effects of growth hormone-releasing hormone on cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults: results of a controlled trial · Arch Neurol (2012) · PMID 22869065
Citations are provided for educational purposes. They do not constitute medical advice. Always discuss any peptide protocol with your prescribing physician.
Common questions
SYNAPSE Blend for Women, answered.
It has never been studied in women or anyone as a blend, and none of its components' human trials reported women separately. The research most often quoted for women is MOTS-c work in ovariectomised mice.
That has not been studied. No component is hormone therapy, and the one cognition trial was tesamorelin alone in adults aged 55 to 87, not reported by sex. Iron, thyroid, B12 and the transition itself are worth raising first.
Its tesamorelin was trialled for visceral fat, mostly in adults with HIV, at four times the SYNAPSE dose, and its MOTS-c reduced fat accumulation in ovariectomised mice. No trial has enrolled perimenopausal or postmenopausal women, so that use is an extrapolation.
No. The approved tesamorelin product is contraindicated in pregnancy and its label advises against breastfeeding, and tesamorelin is in every SYNAPSE dose.
Tell your physician first. Because tesamorelin is contraindicated in pregnancy, the usual default is to stop before you start trying.
No component acts on the ovarian axis, and no study has looked at cycle effects. Report any change to your physician.
Put the history on your intake in full; specialist input comes first. The approved tesamorelin product is contraindicated in active malignancy and requires any prior cancer to be inactive with treatment complete.
No component has been studied alongside SSRIs, SNRIs or other psychiatric medication. Your prescriber should review it before adding SYNAPSE, and do not stop any prescribed medication.
Neither has been studied in women. Semax + Selank delivers the two neuropeptides without tesamorelin and MOTS-c, so it avoids tesamorelin's pregnancy, glucose and fluid considerations. Which suits you is set by your physician after reviewing your intake.
Mostly injection-site reactions, with tesamorelin's joint aches, swelling and tingling, a blood sugar caution, and brief jitteriness after a dose in some people. They are not reported by sex.
At Pepti, SYNAPSE is $279 a month, all-in. Semax + Selank is $259.
No. Bloodwork is not required for any Pepti treatment. If your physician wants labs for your care, they'll ask through your account. The free assessment goes to a physician licensed in your state. A consultation does not guarantee a prescription.
Next step
See what a physician recommends for you.
A licensed physician in your state reviews your intake and decides what is appropriate. A consultation does not guarantee a prescription.