What is the difference between progesterone and progestin?
Progesterone is the hormone your body naturally makes. In menopause treatment, micronized progesterone is considered bioidentical, which means it has the same molecular structure as the progesterone your body produces. If you have a uterus and take estrogen, progesterone is often prescribed to protect the uterine lining. Some women also notice it helps with sleep.
Progestin is a synthetic hormone that acts like progesterone, but it has a different chemical structure. Progestins are used in many birth control pills, hormonal IUDs like Mirena or Liletta, and in some menopause regimens. At Alloy, our first-line option for uterine protection is micronized bioidentical progesterone, because it’s generally better tolerated than older synthetic progestins, especially for mood and sleep.
One other nuance, both progesterone products and progestins are made in a lab. The difference is that bioidentical progesterone matches your body’s hormone, while progestins do not.
If you want a deeper read, our bioidentical hormone guide explains this well, and our progesterone page covers how progesterone is used in menopause care. This short chapter on types of estrogen and progesterone is also a helpful explainer.
This answer was created using the following resources: