
Compilation of free information about human parts, their function, assembly, repair, and maintenance
![]() |
|
| Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
|---|---|
| 13-ethyl-17-ethynyl- 11-methylidene- 1,2,3,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,14,15, 16,17- tetradecahydrocyclopenta[a] phenanthren-17-ol | |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | 54024-22-5 |
| ATC code | G03AC09 |
| PubChem compound | 40973 |
| DrugBank | APRD00762 |
| ChemSpider | 37400 |
| Chemical data | |
| Formula | C22H30O |
| Mol. mass | 310.473 g/mol |
| SMILES | eMolecules & PubChem |
| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Protein binding | 98.3% |
| Therapeutic considerations | |
| Pregnancy cat. | ? |
| Legal status | |
|
|
|
Desogestrel is a molecule used in hormonal contraceptives.
Contents[hide] |
Third generation pills have been shown to resolve or to reduce acne and hirsutism. They are suitable for use in patients with diabetes or lipid disorders because they have minimal impact on blood glucose levels and the lipid profile. Their dosage is lower than other oral contraceptives.
In February 2007, the consumer adovcacy group Public Citizen released a petition requesting that the FDA ban oral contraceptives containing desogestrel, citing studies going as far back as 1995 that suggest the risk of dangerous blood clots is doubled for women on such pills in comparison to other oral contraceptives. In 2009, Public Citizen released a list of recommendations that included numerous alternative, second-generation birth control pills that women could take in place of oral contraceptives containing desogestrel. Most of those second-generation medications have been on the market longer and have been shown to be as effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy, but with a lower risk of blood clots.
Most combined oral contraceptive pills (COCPs, or simply OCs) on the market today contain both an estrogen compound (ethinyl estradiol is common) plus a progestin (a progesterone-like compound) such as desogestrel.
As such, desogestrel-containing birth control pills are sometimes referred to as "third generation" oral contraceptives. Drugs cited specifically in the petition include Apri-28, Cyclessa, Desogen, Kariva, Mircette, Ortho-Cept, Reclipsen, Velivet and some generic pills. Birth control pills that are considered "second generation" (Ortho Tri-Cyclen, for example) contain an estrogen and a progestin, but the progestin is different, such as levonorgestrel.
The dispute is whether third generation OCs are less safe than the second generations OCs, which are considered the current "gold standard" in terms of oral contraceptive safety.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
This pharmacology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
The content of this section is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License (local copy). It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Desogestrel" modified November 23, 2009 with previous authors listed in its history.