Chemicals and Drugs

Megestrol

A progestational hormone used most commonly as the acetate ester. As the acetate, it is more potent than progesterone both as a progestagen and as an ovulation inhibitor. It has also been used in the palliative treatment of breast cancer.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

A progestational hormone used most commonly as the acetate ester. As the acetate, it is more potent than progesterone both as a progestagen and as an ovulation inhibitor. It has also been used in the palliative treatment of breast cancer.

Chemical Identity

Chemical Information

Molecular Formula
C22H30O3
Molecular Weight
342.5 g/mol
CAS Registry No.
3562-63-8
IUPAC Name
(8R,9S,10R,13S,14S,17R)-17-acetyl-17-hydroxy-6,10,13-trimethyl-2,8,9,11,12,14,15,16-octahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-one
InChIKey
VXIMPSPISRVBPZ-NWUMPJBXSA-N
SMILES
CC1=C[C@@H]2[C@H](CC[C@]3([C@H]2CC[C@@]3(C(=O)C)O)C)[C@@]4(C1=CC(=O)CC4)C
MeSH Unique ID
D008535
Source
PubChem CID 19090

MeSH Record

Classification

Broader headings

Narrower headings

Related Concepts

Knowledge Graph

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Drug Class

Pharmacological Action

MeSH Record

Synonyms

2 entry terms
  • 17-Hydroxy-6-methylpregna-3,6-diene-3,20-dione
  • Pregna-4,6-diene-3,20-dione, 17-hydroxy-6-methyl-

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

25 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings administration & dosage, adverse effects, agonists, analogs & derivatives, analysis, antagonists & inhibitors, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemical synthesis, chemistry, classification, economics, history, immunology, isolation & purification, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, poisoning, radiation effects, standards, supply & distribution, therapeutic use, toxicity, urine.

MeSH Record

Indexing Annotation

a synthetic progestational hormone

MeSH Record

History Note

72(63)

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Number

  1. D04w.210.500w.745.432w.531w

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Megestrol. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D008535. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D008535
  2. Megestrol. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megestrol
  3. Megestrol. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q410513
  4. Megestrol. In: PubChem Compound. CID 19090. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/19090