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Is dydrogesterone progesterone?
Journal of Reproductive Immunology 95 (2012) 101
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Journal of Reproductive Immunology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jreprimm
Letter to the Editor
Is dydrogesterone progesterone? Keywords: Dydrogesterone Progesterone
Dear Editors, The hormone progesterone is a single chemical entity with progestational activity in the same way as the hormone testosterone is a single chemical entity with androgenic activity. In a study where women were treated with dydrogesterone defined by the authors as “an orally active progestagen” the treatment groups were labeled as the “progesterone group” and the “nonprogesterone group” (Hudic´ et al., 2011), rather than the more accurate progestagen group and nonprogestagen group. Throughout the article claims are made about the effects of progesterone supplementation; without reading the fine print it would be easy for a reader to assume that the response had been achieved by giving doses of progesterone. Why use progesterone at all? Since a single active ingredient was given, why not use the active ingredient’s name? Results suggest that plasma progesterone levels rose following treatment with dydrogesterone, but was the assay sensitive enough to distinguish between dydrogesterone and progesterone?
0165-0378/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jri.2012.04.006
Androgens are not referred to as testosterone, and while research with progestagens continues to be reported as though the treating agent is progesterone, there will be confusion about the effects of progesterone and those of progestagens. Could you please assist in reducing the confusion by using a name other than progesterone when referring to progestagens? Reference ´ I., Szekeres-Bartho, J., Fatuˇsic, ´ Z., Stray-Pedersen, B., Dizdarevic´ Hudic, ´ A., Hotic, ´ N., Kameric, ´ L., Mandˇzic, ´ A., 2011. ´ L., Latifagic, Hudic, Dydrogesterone supplementation in women with threatened preterm delivery—the impact on cytokine profile, hormone profile, and progesterone-induced blocking factor. J. Reprod. Immunol. 92, 103–107.
M. Joy Spark ∗ School of Pharmacy and Applied Science, LaTrobe University, PO Box 199, Bendigo, Vic 3552, Australia ∗ Tel.:
+61 3 5441 7551; fax: +61 3 5444 7878. E-mail address: [email protected] 12 April 2012 24 April 2012
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Journal of Reproductive Immunology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jreprimm
Letter to the Editor
Is dydrogesterone progesterone? Keywords: Dydrogesterone Progesterone
Dear Editors, The hormone progesterone is a single chemical entity with progestational activity in the same way as the hormone testosterone is a single chemical entity with androgenic activity. In a study where women were treated with dydrogesterone defined by the authors as “an orally active progestagen” the treatment groups were labeled as the “progesterone group” and the “nonprogesterone group” (Hudic´ et al., 2011), rather than the more accurate progestagen group and nonprogestagen group. Throughout the article claims are made about the effects of progesterone supplementation; without reading the fine print it would be easy for a reader to assume that the response had been achieved by giving doses of progesterone. Why use progesterone at all? Since a single active ingredient was given, why not use the active ingredient’s name? Results suggest that plasma progesterone levels rose following treatment with dydrogesterone, but was the assay sensitive enough to distinguish between dydrogesterone and progesterone?
0165-0378/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jri.2012.04.006
Androgens are not referred to as testosterone, and while research with progestagens continues to be reported as though the treating agent is progesterone, there will be confusion about the effects of progesterone and those of progestagens. Could you please assist in reducing the confusion by using a name other than progesterone when referring to progestagens? Reference ´ I., Szekeres-Bartho, J., Fatuˇsic, ´ Z., Stray-Pedersen, B., Dizdarevic´ Hudic, ´ A., Hotic, ´ N., Kameric, ´ L., Mandˇzic, ´ A., 2011. ´ L., Latifagic, Hudic, Dydrogesterone supplementation in women with threatened preterm delivery—the impact on cytokine profile, hormone profile, and progesterone-induced blocking factor. J. Reprod. Immunol. 92, 103–107.
M. Joy Spark ∗ School of Pharmacy and Applied Science, LaTrobe University, PO Box 199, Bendigo, Vic 3552, Australia ∗ Tel.:
+61 3 5441 7551; fax: +61 3 5444 7878. E-mail address: [email protected] 12 April 2012 24 April 2012