Duphaston

Duphaston is a brand name for the generic drug dydrogesterone, which is a synthetic hormone similar to progesterone, a naturally occurring sex hormone. Duphaston is used for several different menstrual disorders that occur due to a lack of progesterone in the body. Progesterone is necessary for the maintenance of a healthy endometrium, the lining of the uterus, required for pregnancy. The body produces progesterone at certain times of the month, making the uterus hospitable to a fertilized embryo. If no embryo appears, progesterone levels drop and the body sheds the lining of the uterus, resulting in a menstrual period. Taking Duphaston helps to regulate this process in women whose progesterone levels are low, so that they may be maintained at the level required for health and fertility.

Duphaston is used as a treatment for several different conditions related to progesterone production. If a woman experiences abdominal pain or bleeding during a pregnancy, or if she is pregnant but has a history of miscarriages, Duphaston can help sustain the necessary levels of hormones required to maintain a healthy pregnancy. It also relieves severe menstrual cramps or regulates menstrual periods if you have difficulty in these matters due to a progesterone deficiency. It helps treat endometriosis, an inflammation of the lining of the uterus, and helps regulate irregular menstrual cycles. It can stabilize the level of progesterone, thereby treating premenstrual syndrome. It also can help prevent the excessive growth of the endometrium that is a result of estrogen hormone replacement therapy. It is also used to treat infertility in women by re-establishing the levels of progesterone required for women to become pregnant.

Duphaston, like all medications, can cause some adverse reactions. Some of these may include headache, nausea, malaise, jaundice, abdominal pain, abnormal liver function, anemia, dizziness, skin reactions such as rash, itchiness, or hives, tenderness of the breasts, spotting or breakthrough bleeding between periods.

There are some people who should not use Duphaston. You should not take it if you have any blood clotting problems, or if you have had a heart attack or a stroke. You should not take it if you have liver disease or gall bladder problems, if you have ever had jaundice, if you have breast cancer or cancer of the genitals, or if you have any form of estrogen dependent cancer. You should not take Duphaston if you have had a form of liver cancer caused by oral contraceptives, if you have unusual vaginal bleeding, or if you have sickle cell anemia or other forms of abnormal red blood cells. Others who should not take Duphaston include those who have ever had herpes during pregnancy.

Duphaston is not known to cause harmful effects to a pregnancy, but you should make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant before beginning Duphaston treatment. Small amounts of Duphaston may pass into breast milk, but there are no known negative effects on nursing babies. As with all medications, if you are plan to nurse a child while taking Duphaston, you should discuss it with your doctor.

Duphaston has the following structural formula: