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The Crucial Difference Between Progesterone and Progestins

Progestins such as drospirenone, levonorgestrel, or medroxyprogesterone are not progesterone. That’s because progesterone is not a generic term like estrogen. Instead, progesterone refers only to the hormone made by the corpus luteum or taken as oral micronized progesterone. Consider the structural difference between progesterone and the progestin drug levonorgestrel, which is used in many oral contraceptives, implants, hormonal IUDs, and the morning-after pill.

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 Progesterone and Progestins and Progestogens: What do these terms mean? And what is are the differences?

These close-sounding terms confuse the non-medical among us and mask the fact that these products may have different ways of interacting in the body and different safety profiles.

 The Progestin Revolution: progestins are arising as the dominant players in the tight interlink between contraceptives and bleeding control

The tight link between contraception and bleeding control has led to the development of safe and effective contraceptive options that often offer excellent bleeding control. The progestin only LARC methods were particularly valuable in demonstrating bleeding control with the use of high dose progestin action on the endometrium. Progestin-only protocols, particularly those using MPA oral pills with or without injectable MPA, are very effective in stopping acute and controlling long-term bleeding and are associated with less side effects than many of the traditional protocols.

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Here’s What You Need to Know About This Commonly Prescribed Hormone

Synthetic progesterone, called progestins, don't help maintain a pregnancy. They are used for a wide range of applications including birth control, regulating abnormal bleeding, and for hormone therapy after menopause... Dr. Hjort cites the most commonly prescribed formulations of progestin, though more than forty other types...

Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill, will be on shelves soon − here are some key things to know

Opill contains norgestrel, which is a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone works in several ways to prevent pregnancy. First, it thickens the mucus in the cervix, which makes it challenging for sperm to enter the uterus and fertilize an egg. Second, it thins the lining of the uterus, making it less hospitable for a fertilized egg to implant. And third, it can prevent ovulation, or release of the egg, in most people.

Hot flashes? Night sweats? Progesterone can help reduce symptoms of menopause

What I needed to keep these symptoms in check was the hormone progesterone. I took it for seven years because I needed it, it worked, and I believed it was safe.

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Used widely in contraceptions and in hormone replacement therapy during menopause, progestins affect a lot more than just the uterus.

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Observational studies suggest that in menopausal women, estrogen and progesterone use may be associated with lower breast cancer risk compared to synthetic progestin.

Progestin-Only Hormonal Birth Control: Pill and Injection

The mucus in the cervix thickens, making it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus and fertilize an egg. Progestin stops ovulation, but it does not do so consistently. About 4 in 10 women who use progestin-only pills will continue to ovulate. Progestin thins the lining of the uterus.

Progestins

We quickly reviewed initially that progesterone naturally serves as an inhibitory feedback to luteinizing hormone during the menstrual cycle. There were also a number of downstream effects of progesterone, including cervical mucus thickening, stabilizing the endometrial lining, and down-regulating both systemic progesterone and estrogen receptors — you can review all of these again with our episode on the menstrual cycle if you missed it. These mechanisms of action underlie the way progestins work clinically. We do not cover the anti-progestins (mifepristone) and selective progesterone receptor modulators (ulipristal) today. We then reviewed the generations of progestins. As Dr. Brown states, knowing drosperinone as a 4th generation is probably a good thing, but otherwise some of this is just good to know as a “contraception nerd.”

Progestins 101

What you should know about the synthetic form of progesterone.

Understanding Progestins: From Basics to Clinical Applicability

The proper choice of progestins must be individualized according to the desired effects, as well as a patient’s current diseases and cardiovascular risk. There is a lack of research in this field, and more is required to remove the stigma that hormonal compounds have gained, especially after the publication of the WHI, since there are currently different compounds with very different properties from those used in the classic studies that could offer benefits for different diseases and improve patients’ quality of life.

What are the different kinds of progestins, and why are they important?

Progestins are often grouped in terms of “generations.” This simply refers to when the progestin was first available on the market. Notably, it doesn’t mean all progestins of a certain generation are the same. That said, earlier-generation progestins overall tend to have more androgenic activity, meaning they impact the androgen pathway to a greater extent

Your Guide to Progestin, Progesterone, and Their Roles

Is progesterone the same thing as progestin? In short, yes and no: Progesterone is a naturally occurring steroid hormone made in varying amounts by male, female, and intersex bodies. Progestin is a synthetic chemical that mimics the effects of progesterone on the body.

Resources

StatPearls

Progestins, synthetic compounds emulating the action of progesterone, serve a pivotal role in various medical applications, spanning from contraception to postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy. These medications interact with progesterone receptors, exhibiting distinct effects based on their generational classification or structural composition.