Methylestradiol, sold under the brand names Ginecosid, Ginecoside, Mediol, and Renodiol, is an

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal acti ...

medication which is used in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. It is formulated in combination with

normethandrone Normethandrone, also known as methylestrenolone or methylnortestosterone and sold under the brand name Metalutin among others, is a progestin and androgen/anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is used in combination with an estrogen in the tre ...

, a

progestin A progestogen, also referred to as a progestagen, gestagen, or gestogen, is a type of medication which produces effects similar to those of the natural product, natural female sex hormone progesterone in the body. A progestin is a ''synthetic co ...

and androgen/

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone (medication), testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related ...

medication. Methylestradiol is taken by mouth. Side effects of methylestradiol include

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...

breast tension Breast tension is a constellation of symptoms involving the breasts including: * Breast pain * Breast engorgement Breast engorgement occurs in the mammary glands due to expansion and pressure exerted by the synthesis and storage of breast m ...

edema Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's Tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels t ...

, and

breakthrough bleeding Intermenstrual bleeding, previously known as metrorrhagia, is uterine bleeding at irregular intervals, particularly between the expected menstrual periods. It is a cause of vaginal bleeding. In some women, menstrual spotting between periods occ ...

among others. It is an

, or an

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...

of the estrogen receptors, the biological target of estrogens like estradiol. Methylestradiol is or has been marketed in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. In addition to its use as a medication, methylestradiol has been studied for use as a radiopharmaceutical for the estrogen receptor.

Medical uses

Methylestradiol is used in combination with the progestin and androgen/anabolic steroid

(methylestrenolone) in the treatment of

menopausal symptom Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often ...

Available forms

Methylestradiol is marketed in combination with

in the form of

oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or oral ...

tablet Tablet may refer to: Medicine * Tablet (pharmacy), a mixture of pharmacological substances pressed into a small cake or bar, colloquially called a "pill" Computing * Tablet computer, a mobile computer that is primarily operated by touching the s ...

s containing 0.3 mg methylestradiol and 5 mg normethandrone.

Side effects

Side effects of methylestradiol include

, and

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Methylestradiol is an

, or an

of the estrogen receptor. It shows somewhat lower

affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Partn ...

for the estrogen receptor than estradiol or ethinylestradiol. Methylestradiol is an

active metabolite An active metabolite is an active form of a drug after it has been processed by the body. Metabolites of drugs An active metabolite results when a drug is metabolized by the body into a modified form which continues to produce effects in the body ...

of the androgens/anabolic steroids

methyltestosterone Methyltestosterone, sold under the brand names Android, Metandren, and Testred among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is used in the treatment of low testosterone levels in men, delayed puberty in boys, at low ...

(17α-methyltestosterone), metandienone (17α-methyl-δ¹-testosterone), and

(17α-methyl-19-nortestosterone), and is responsible for their

ic side effects, such as gynecomastia and fluid retention.

Pharmacokinetics

Due to the presence of its C17α methyl group, methylestradiol cannot be deactivated by

oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a d ...

of the C17β

hydroxyl group In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy g ...

, resulting in improved

metabolic stability Drug metabolism is the metabolic breakdown of drugs by living organisms, usually through specialized enzymatic systems. More generally, xenobiotic metabolism (from the Greek xenos "stranger" and biotic "related to living beings") is the set o ...

and

potency Potency may refer to: * Potency (pharmacology), a measure of the activity of a drug in a biological system * Virility * Cell potency, a measure of the differentiation potential of stem cells * In homeopathic dilutions, potency is a measure of how ...

relative to estradiol. This is analogous to the case of ethinylestradiol and its C17α

ethynyl group In organic chemistry, the term ethynyl designates a functional group with a double bond with 2 carbon atoms both with sp hybridisation and a triple bond(1 sigma and 2 pi bond) . It is a species similar to acetylene (or in IUPAC ethyne ) with a less ...

Chemistry

Methylestradiol, or 17α-methylestradiol (17α-ME), also known as 17α-methylestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17β-diol, is a

synthetic Synthetic things are composed of multiple parts, often with the implication that they are artificial. In particular, 'synthetic' may refer to: Science * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic o ...

estrane Estrane is a C18 steroid derivative, with a gonane core. ''Estrenes'' are estrane derivatives that contain a double bond, with an example being nandrolone. ''Estratrienes'' (estrins) are estrane derivatives that contain three double bonds, for i ...

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

and a

derivative In mathematics, the derivative of a function of a real variable measures the sensitivity to change of the function value (output value) with respect to a change in its argument (input value). Derivatives are a fundamental tool of calculus. F ...

of estradiol. It is specifically the derivative of estradiol with a methyl group at the C17α positions. Closely related steroids include ethinylestradiol (17α-ethynylestradiol) and

ethylestradiol Ethylestradiol, or 17α-ethylestradiol, also known as 17α-ethylestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-3,17β-diol, is a synthetic estrogen which was never marketed. It occurs as an active metabolite of the anabolic steroids norethandrolone and ethylestrenol ...

(17α-ethylestradiol). The C3

cyclopentyl Cyclopentane (also called C pentane) is a highly flammable alicyclic hydrocarbon with chemical formula C5H10 and CAS number 287-92-3, consisting of a ring of five carbon atoms each bonded with two hydrogen atoms above and below the plane. It occu ...

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be c ...

of methylestradiol has been studied and shows greater

than methylestradiol in animals, similarly to quinestrol (ethinylestradiol 3-cyclopentyl ether) and

quinestradol Quinestradol (, ) (brand names Colpovis, Colpovister, Pentovis), also known as quinestradiol or quinestriol, as well as estriol 3-cyclopentyl ether (E3CPE), is a synthetic estrogen and estrogen ether which is no longer marketed. It is the 3-cyc ...

(estriol 3-cyclopentyl ether).Falconi, G., Rossi, G. L., & Ercoli, A. (1970). Quinestrol and other cyclopentyl ethers of estrogenic steroids: different rates of storage in body fat. https://www.popline.org/node/474468

History

Methylestradiol was first marketed, alone as Follikosid and in combination with

as Klimanosid, in 1955.

Society and culture

Generic names

Methylestradiol has not been assigned an or other formal name designations. Its generic name in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

is ''methylestradiol'', in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

is ''méthylestradiol'', and in Spanish is ''metilestadiol''. It is also known as ''17α-methylestradiol''.

Brand names

Methylestradiol is or has been marketed under the brand names Ginecosid, Ginecoside, Mediol, and Renodiol, all in combination with

Availability

Methylestradiol is or has been marketed in

, and

References

{{Estrogen receptor modulators Tertiary alcohols Estranes Human drug metabolites Synthetic estrogens