progesterone

noun

pro·​ges·​ter·​one prō-ˈje-stə-ˌrōn 

: a female steroid sex hormone C₂₁H₃₀O₂ that is secreted by the corpus luteum to prepare the endometrium for implantation and later by the placenta during pregnancy to prevent rejection of the developing embryo or fetus

Examples of progesterone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Research suggests that the increase in estrogen and progesterone leading up to your period is responsible for sugar cravings. —Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 27 Feb. 2026

If the egg released by one of your ovaries during ovulation isn’t fertilized and a pregnancy doesn’t occur, your progesterone levels will drop, taking that increase in appetite with them and triggering menstrual bleeding. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 25 Feb. 2026

That progesterone call-out, after all, applies not just to trans folks but those in menopause, too. —Jesse Dorris, Pitchfork, 25 Feb. 2026

For women, estrogen and progesterone normally help buffer cortisol’s effects. —Rita Templeton, Flow Space, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

blend of progestin and luteosterone (borrowed from German Luteosteron, from luteo- luteo- + -steron -sterone), both earlier names for progesterone

Note: The name resulted from a compromise between researchers associated with the earlier names, the American gynecologist Willard M. Allen and embryologist George Washington Corner, and the German biochemists Adolph Butenandt and Karl Heinrich Slotta. See W. M. Allen, A. Butenandt, G. W. Corner, and K. H. Slotta, "Nomenclature of Corpus Luteum Hormone," Nature, vol. 136, number 303 (September 1, 1935), p. 303.

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for progesterone

• aldosterone
• anticyclone
• testosterone
• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• chaperone
• cobblestone
• collarbone

Kids Definition

progesterone

noun

pro·​ges·​ter·​one prō-ˈjes-tə-ˌrōn 

: a hormone that is produced by the corpus luteum and causes the uterus to change so that it provides a suitable environment for a fertilized egg

Medical Definition

progesterone

noun

pro·​ges·​ter·​one prō-ˈjes-tə-ˌrōn 

: a female steroid sex hormone C₂₁H₃₀O₂ that is secreted by the corpus luteum to prepare the endometrium for implantation and later by the placenta during pregnancy to prevent rejection of the developing embryo or fetus

Note: Synthetic steroids (such as progestins) that function similarly in the body are sometimes also referred to as progesterones.