Pharmacology of progestogens

Abstract

In addition to progesterone, which can be synthesized and secreted by the ovary, placenta and adrenal glands, there are different classes of progestogens, which also known as progestins which are synthetic. Each progestogen has a particular pattern of partial effects leading to different partial effects at the tissue level based on structural differences derived from different basic compounds. This partial effect pattern is of great importance for clinical use and should be taken into consideration for clinical purposes. Based upon this pattern of partial effects, each progestogen may result in different tissue effects and different effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. It has been recently demonstrated that progestogens combined with estrogens also have different effect on the hemostatic system leading to differences in venous thromboembolic risk, depending on the type of the progestogens used.