progestin

noun

pro·​ges·​tin prō-ˈje-stən 

: progestogen

especially : a synthetic progesterone (such as levonorgestrel)

Examples of progestin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Estrogen and progestin found in birth control pills may increase water retention. —Ashley Baumohl, Verywell Health, 7 Oct. 2024

But in 2002, women were told unequivocally that taking estrogen and progestin to treat menopause symptoms increased their risk of breast cancer. —Pamela Paul, The Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2024

Synthetic progesterones, called progestins, are well known to stimulate appetite and can therefore cause weight gain. —Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2024

Even though the risks were relatively small, the fact that millions of people were taking them meant that added up to more than 14,000 people in the US who developed potentially life-threatening health problems every year from taking oral estrogen combined with progestin. —Amy Norton, SELF, 22 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

progest(ational) + -in entry 1, originally as a name for progesterone

Note: The name was introduced by the American gynecologist and biochemist Willard M. Allen (1904-93) in "Physiology of the Corpus Luteum V. The Preparation and Some Chemical Properties of Progestin, a Hormone of the Corpus Luteum which Produces Progestational Proliferation," Amerian Journal of Physiology, vol. 92, issue 1 (February, 1930), pp. 174-88.

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

progestin

noun

pro·​ges·​tin prō-ˈjest-ən 

: progesterone

especially : a synthetic progesterone (as levonorgestrel)