Safety information for pregnancy and breastfeeding
Pregnancy
Always consult your doctor or midwife before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Source: DrugBank (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Gestrinone
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Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Gestrinone
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1 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
700 microgram
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & safety information
Official UK regulator monitoring and safety alerts
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 7 · Randomised trials: 11 · Trials: 3 · 1982–2026
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
Vitor Luis Fagundes, Nathália Carolina Barreiro Marques, Amanda Franco de Lima, et al.
Pharmaceutics, 2025
Background: Gestrinone is a synthetic hormone derived from 19-nortestosterone, exhibiting androgenic, anabolic, anti-progestogenic, and antiestrogenic effects. Gestrinone subcutaneous implants have been used “off label” for aesthetic purposes due to their anabolic action, promoting accelerated metabolism and muscle gain. Objective: Our goal is to conduct a systematic review focused exclusively on identifying the safety profile of gestrinone use, without addressing efficacy. Methods: This systematic review was performed according to the Joanna Briggs Institute and Cochrane Collaboration recommendations and is reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Network Meta-Analyses. This article’s searches were carried out in the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Results: A total of 32 articles were included in this study. The reported adverse events associated with the use of gestrinone were amenorrhea (41.4% of cases), acne, seborrhea (42.7% of reports), decreased libido (26.5%), and hot flushes (24.2%). Other nonspecific symptoms such as hoarseness and cramps were also fairly reported (3.5% and 18.6%, respectively). Other reported effects were associated with breast size reduction (23.7% of patients) and increased transaminases (15.1%). Most studies (40%, n = 24 studies) found significant weight gain (ranging from 0.9 to 8 kg per patient). Abnormalities in bone mineral density were reported in four studies. Conclusions: The evidence remains insufficient to fully understand the risks of gestrinone uses associated with its widespread, unregulated use. Thus, further standardized studies and regulatory oversight to ensure patient safety are needed to mitigate potential health risks.
Abstract licence: CC BY 4.0
Zheng Y, Ma R, Xu H, et al.
2023
- Endometriosis
- Mifepristone
- Gestrinone
BackgroundEndometriosis (EMT) is a benign and common estrogen-dependent disease. Hormonal therapy improves pain symptoms in most women with EMT. However, in many cases, laparoscopic fertility preservation surgery is considered a common treatment for EMT. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dienogest, leuprolide, danazol, gestrinone, mifepristone and levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) in relieving symptoms and delaying the recurrence of EMT cysts after fertility protection surgery.MethodsWe searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database, China Biology Medicine disc, WanFang Data databases to collect randomized controlled trials (RCT) related to dienogest, leuprolide, danazol, gestrinone, mifepristone and LNG-IUS as a follow-up treatment after fertility preserving surgery for EMT. After literature screening, data extraction and quality evaluation, effective rate, recurrence rate, pregnancy rate and adverse reaction rate were used as outcome indicators to evaluate the efficacy and safety of drugs. Evidence networks included in the study were drawn and publication bias was assessed. The drugs most likely to be the best postoperative treatment were explored through mixed comparison of different drugs and efficacy ranking.ResultEffective rate: dienogest, leprerelin, gestrinone and LNG-IUS were better than placebo after EMT fertility preservation surgery; dienogest was superior to mifepristone and danazol. LNG-IUS is superior to danazol. LNG-IUS has the highest potential for improving the effectiveness of EMT symptoms. Recurrence rate: the application of dienogest, leuprolide, gestrinone, mifepristone and LNG-IUS after EMT fertility preservation surgery was lower than that of placebo; dienogest and LNG-IUS were lower than danazol. The recurrence rate of dinorgestrel was the last place with the highest performance. Pregnancy rate: in the cases with fertility requirements, dienogest and,leuprolide were better than placebo after EMT fertility preservation surgery; dienogest was superior to danazol, gestrinone and mifepristone. Leuprolide is superior to danazol and gestrinone. The first rank of dienogest pregnancy rate was the highest. Adverse reaction rate: the application of dienogest, leuprolide, danazol, gestrinone, mifepristone and LNG-IUS after EMT fertility preservation surgery was higher than that of placebo. After placebo, LNG-IUS had the highest adverse reaction rate.ConclusionFor patients after fertility preserving surgery for EMT, the recurrence rate of dienogest was the last place with highest preference. The first rank of dienogest pregnancy was the highest.
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC
Peng C, Huang Y, Zhou Y
2021
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
- Endometriosis
- Dydrogesterone
PurposeEndometriosis is a common, chronic gynecological disease that affects women's fertility potential. Dydrogesterone is an effective and safe drug that is under-utilized due to limited clinical research. The purpose of this evidence mapping is to identify, describe, and analyze the current available evidence regarding dydrogesterone for the treatment of endometriosis.Materials and methodsWe performed a search in electronic databases: Medline, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and CBM. We also hand-searched google for relevant studies. Our primary outcomes included changes in pain relief including pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and dyspareunia. Secondary outcomes included pregnancy rate, frequency of analgesic use, and other reported outcomes according to specific settings in the studies.ResultsOf 377 references screened, 19 studies were included in the data synthesis involving 1709 female participants. Nearly three-quarters were either randomized control trials or clinical control trials. Compared with gestrinone, dydrogesterone relieved dysmenorrhea, increased the pregnancy rate, and reduced the risk of certain adverse events. Compared with GnRH-a, dydrogesterone also lowered the risk of endometriosis recurrence and elevated transaminase levels. Whether there was any difference in efficacy between dydrogesterone and leuprolide acetate, letrozole or traditional Chinese medicine remains unclear due to insufficient data.ConclusionsThe amount and quality of evidence evaluating the effects of dydrogesterone for the treatment of endometriosis is generally very low. Limited evidence suggests that dydrogesterone may have some advantages over gestrinone, GnRH agonists, and other therapeutic interventions in treating endometriosis. However, this conclusion should be interpreted with caution.
Abstract licence: CC BY
André Malavasi, Camilla Moreira Ribeiro, Leandro Barile Agati, et al.
Annals of Medicine, 2025
- Endometriosis
- Pelvic Pain
- Gestrinone
Background Pelvic pain secondary to endometriosis is a disabling condition. There are multiple treatments available, with variable endpoints. No prospective controlled studies were carried out evaluating subdermal pellets of gestrinone in this population.Methods One hundred participants with documented deep infiltrative endometriosis who underwent surgery without satisfactory response will be randomly assigned (1:1) to either gestrinone 85 mg subdermal bioabsorbable pellets or placebo. Both arms will receive levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS 12). The treatment duration will be 6 months, with baseline, 3 months and 6 months clinical visits. The primary endpoint is a combination of serious adverse events (SAEs) accumulated within 6 months of insertion of the gestrinone or placebo pellet and collected through spontaneous reports and clinical findings. They include death, threat or risk to life, need for hospitalization, prolongation of pre-existing hospitalization, permanent disability or damage, congenital anomaly; or significant medical occurrences such as venous thromboembolism. The primary safety outcome will be the percentage of patients who do not experience SAEs 6 months after randomization. Androgenization, changes in laboratory exams and in pelvic pain intensity as well as quality of life (SF-36 and EHP-30 questionnaires) will be further evaluated. Daily data on uterine bleeding patterns and the use of pain relief medication will be remotely collected using an App. Pharmacokinetics profile of gestrinone pellet will be characterized.Conclusion This is the first multicenter randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics profile of subdermal gestrinone pellets and might inform clinical practice for treating these patients.Administrative Information GLADE trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05570786). This is an investigator-initiated research supported by Biòs Farmacêutica.
Abstract licence: CC BY 4.0
Andre Luiz Malavasi Longo de Oliveira, Camilla Moreira Ribeiro, Eduardo Ramacciotti, et al.
2026
Jialing Zhang, Yan Ma, Lili Lian, et al.
Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 2023
Fertility and Sterility, 1996
H. Duan, S. Wang, M. Hao, et al.
Zhonghua fu chan ke za zhi, 2016
- Ovarian Cysts
- Uterine Hemorrhage
- Gestrinone
S Wang, H Duan
Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 2016
Mark D. Hornstein, Ray E. Gleason, Robert L. Barbieri
Fertility and Sterility, 1990
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
24 hr
Mechanism
Gestrinone has weak agonist activity on progesterone receptors in the rabbit end…
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
6 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
30%
[L1700]
Half-life
24 hr
[L1695]
Volume of distribution
67 L
Metabolism
1-OH
Elimination
40-45%
[L1700]
Clearance
1 %
[L1695]
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Gestrinone was developed in the early 1970s and was tested clinically as a weekly oral contraceptive in Europe and North America. Without significant advantages over other oral contraceptives and with its high cost, gestrinone was no longer used after the Stage II clinical trials. However, from 1982 this drug attracted increased interest due to significant therapeutic effects in the treatment endometriosis. Under different endocrine conditions, gestrinone possesses estrogenic, progestational, androgenic, antiestrogenic and antiprogesterone actions [L1696].
[L1699][L1700]
Known interactions with other medicines. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 542 interactions
Gestrinone significantly reduces HDL concentrations .
[L1697]
It is advisable to monitor liver transaminases and cholesterol levels in hyperlipidemic patients, as well as glucose in diabetic patients. Gestrinone has shown to decrease in the concentration of thyroid-binding globulin. Therefore, a decrease in serum total thyroxine levels is commonly observed.
This is without clinical significance as free thyroxine levels and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels remain within the normal reference range .
[L1700]
The primary action of gestrinone is on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis where it inhibits gonadotrophin release with a weak inhibitory effect on its synthesis. It also possesses anti-estrogen activity. The suppression of the ovular gonadotrophin peak is observed after the first month of treatment; the resulting decline in ovarian hormone secretion rapidly leads to endometrial atrophy. Aside from its central action, gestrinone also has anti-progesterone activity on cell receptors in both endometrium and extra-uterine ectopic implants. Gestrinone has no direct estrogen and/or uterotrophic effects [L1700].
A study was done to examine the efficacy of gestrinone in emergency contraception. The data from the study suggest that the mechanism of action of gestrinone used for the purposes of emergency contraception is likely the inhibition of implantation by acting on the endometrium as opposed to the inhibition of ovulation [A32134].
Gestrinone has moderate anti-estrogen, and anti-gonadal properties, which can lead to increased concentrations of free testosterone, and decrease the level of sex hormone-binding globulin, suppress the FSH and LH hormone peak levels and decrease the LH mean to reduce estrogen levels. In addition, gestrinone has a direct effect on the endometrium and ectopic endometrial receptors, which have the roles of anti-progesterone and anti-estrogen effects lead to endometrial and ectopic endometrial atrophy to achieve therapeutic effects [L1697].
Gestrinone inhibits the release of pituitary gonadotropins. The effect on ovarian hormone secretion results in the atrophy of endometrial tissue, resulting in the regression of endometriosis. Gestrinone is structurally related to norgestrel and possesses some androgenic and progestogenic activity. However, the gestrinone has an antiprogesterone effect on endometrial tissue [L1697].
The effect of oral gestrinone, 2.5 mg biweekly for 6 months, was studied in a group of 11 women with mild or moderate endometriosis laparoscopically confirmed. Painful symptoms were alleviated in all patients within 8 weeks from the start of treatment. Gonadotropins, prolactin (PRL) 17 beta-estradiol (17 beta-E2), estrone (E1), progesterone (P), androstenedione (A), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) remained in the physiological follicular phase range [A32133].
Total testosterone (TT) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) decreased, and free testosterone (FT) slightly increased. Metabolic studies showed a decrease in total triglyceride level, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and VLDL cholesterol [A32133].
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apoprotein B were found to be increased during gestrinone therapy. It can be extrapolated that gestrinone possesses antiestrogenic, androgenic, and progestogenic effects at therapeutic dosages both by acting on both central and peripheral steroid receptors [A32133].
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[L1700]
[L1695]
[L1695][L1698][L1700]
[L1700]
[L1695]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:27120390 PMID:37478846
Has a dual mode of action: as a transcription factor that binds to glucocorticoid response elements (GRE), both for nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, and as a modulator of other transcription factors .
PMID:28139699
Affects inflammatory responses, cellular proliferation and differentiation in target tissues. Involved in chromatin remodeling .
PMID:9590696
Plays a role in rapid mRNA degradation by binding to the 5' UTR of target mRNAs and interacting with PNRC2 in a ligand-dependent manner which recruits the RNA helicase UPF1 and the mRNA-decapping enzyme DCP1A, leading to RNA decay .
PMID:25775514
Could act as a coactivator for STAT5-dependent transcription upon growth hormone (GH) stimulation and could reveal an essential role of hepatic GR in the control of body growth (By similarity)
PMID:19022849
Transcription factor activity is modulated by bound coactivator and corepressor proteins like ZBTB7A that recruits NCOR1 and NCOR2 to the androgen response elements/ARE on target genes, negatively regulating androgen receptor signaling and androgen-induced cell proliferation .
PMID:20812024
Transcription activation is also down-regulated by NR0B2. Activated, but not phosphorylated, by HIPK3 and ZIPK/DAPK3
Ligand binding induces a conformational change allowing subsequent or combinatorial association with multiprotein coactivator complexes through LXXLL motifs of their respective components. Mutual transrepression occurs between the estrogen receptor (ER) and NF-kappa-B in a cell-type specific manner. Decreases NF-kappa-B DNA-binding activity and inhibits NF-kappa-B-mediated transcription from the IL6 promoter and displace RELA/p65 and associated coregulators from the promoter.
Recruited to the NF-kappa-B response element of the CCL2 and IL8 promoters and can displace CREBBP. Present with NF-kappa-B components RELA/p65 and NFKB1/p50 on ERE sequences. Can also act synergistically with NF-kappa-B to activate transcription involving respective recruitment adjacent response elements; the function involves CREBBP.
Can activate the transcriptional activity of TFF1. Also mediates membrane-initiated estrogen signaling involving various kinase cascades. Essential for MTA1-mediated transcriptional regulation of BRCA1 and BCAS3 .
PMID:17922032
Maintains neuronal survival in response to ischemic reperfusion injury when in the presence of circulating estradiol (17-beta-estradiol/E2) (By similarity)
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
ATC G03XA02
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Show
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Gestrinone
Additional database identifiers
ChemSpider
25877
BindingDB
50423515
ZINC
ZINC000003938633
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8910
GenAtlas
PGR
GeneCards
PGR
GenBank Gene Database
X51730
GenBank Protein Database
35652
Guide to Pharmacology
627
UniProt Accession
PRGR_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:7978
GenAtlas
NR3C1
GeneCards
NR3C1
GenBank Gene Database
X03225
GenBank Protein Database
31680
Guide to Pharmacology
625
UniProt Accession
GCR_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:644
GenAtlas
AR
GeneCards
AR
GenBank Gene Database
M20132
GenBank Protein Database
178628
Guide to Pharmacology
628
UniProt Accession
ANDR_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4421
GenAtlas
GNRHR
GeneCards
GNRHR
GenBank Gene Database
L03380
GenBank Protein Database
183422
Guide to Pharmacology
256
UniProt Accession
GNRHR_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3467
GenAtlas
ESR1
GeneCards
ESR1
GenBank Gene Database
X03635
GenBank Protein Database
31234
Guide to Pharmacology
620
UniProt Accession
ESR1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10839
GenAtlas
SHBG
GeneCards
SHBG
GenBank Gene Database
X16349
GenBank Protein Database
296673
UniProt Accession
SHBG_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite:
- DrugBank 6.02024Recommended citationKnox C., Wilson M., Klinger C.M., et alDrugBank 6.0: the DrugBank Knowledgebase for 2024Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Jan 552(D1):D1265-D1275
- DrugBank 5.02018Wishart D.S., Feunang Y.D., Guo A.C., et alDrugBank 5.0: a major update to the DrugBank database for 2018Nucleic Acids Res. 2017 Nov 846(D1):D1074-D1082
- DrugBank 4.02014Law V., Knox C., Djoumbou Y., et alDrugBank 4.0: shedding new light on drug metabolismNucleic Acids Res. 2014 Jan 142(1):D1091-7
- DrugBank 3.02011Knox C., Law V., Jewison T., et alDrugBank 3.0: a comprehensive resource for 'omics' research on drugsNucleic Acids Res. 2011 Jan39(Database issue):D1035-41
- DrugBank 2.02008Wishart D.S., Knox C., Guo A.C., et alDrugBank: a knowledgebase for drugs, drug actions and drug targets.Nucleic Acids Research2008 Jan36(Database issue):D901-6
- DrugBank 1.02006Wishart D.S., Knox C., Guo A.C., et alDrugBank: a comprehensive resource for in silico drug discovery and exploration.Nucleic Acids Research2006 Jan 134(Database issue):D668-72