Progesterone (compounded)

Is there a difference between progestins and progesterone? Recent research would suggest there is.

Terms cause confusion: progesterone v. progestin v. progestogens

This is another case of confusing terminology. In many places, you will see the term “progestins” used to encompass progesterone — the hormone made by ouor bodies, Prometrium™— the bioidentical product, and all “progesterone-like” products called “progestins” that are made to act like progesterone. Similarly, the term progestogens — defined (by Wikipedia) as a class of steroid hormones that binds to and activates the progesterone receptor — is often also used as a term for all progesterone and progesterone-like products. These umbrella terms confuse consumers and mask the fact that these products have different ways of interacting in the body and different safety profiles.

Molecular structures differ: progestins are not the same as progesterone

Progestins are a class of drugs manufactured in a lab by pharmaceutical companies to act like the progesterone our bodies make. However, the chemical structure of the synthesized molecule is not the same as the naturally occurring one, which has an impact on the way these progesterone-like molecules bind to progesterone receptors in our bodies. Progesterone dissipates quickly in the body, so progestins were designed to be more potent and have a longer-lasting effect. As such, progestins are more potent than natural progesterone.

Progesterone USP, derived from plants and manufactured in a lab, is bioidentical — that is, molecularly identical to the progesterone made in our bodies.

Looking at the chemical structure of progestins and progesterone, it is clear they are not the same.

Information on this medication quoted from WomenLivingBetter.com