progesterone

noun

pro·​ges·​ter·​one prō-ˈje-stə-ˌrōn 

: a female steroid sex hormone C₂₁H₃₀O₂ that is secreted by the corpus luteum to prepare the endometrium for implantation and later by the placenta during pregnancy to prevent rejection of the developing embryo or fetus

also : a synthetic steroid resembling progesterone in action

Examples of progesterone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During a typical menstrual cycle, your ovaries produce hormones such as estrogen and progesterone that prepare your body for pregnancy. —Corey Whelan, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024

When a woman starts menstruating, her ovaries release estrogen and progesterone. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 19 Oct. 2024

Heavy periods are caused by the hormonal fluctuations that occur as the ovaries start producing less estrogen and progesterone. —Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2024

The exact cause of PMDD is unknown, but it may be linked to an abnormal reaction to the natural rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle that causes a serotonin deficiency in the brain. —Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

blend of progestin and luteosterone (borrowed from German Luteosteron, from luteo- luteo- + -steron -sterone), both earlier names for progesterone

Note: The name resulted from a compromise between researchers associated with the earlier names, the American gynecologist Willard M. Allen and embryologist George Washington Corner, and the German biochemists Adolph Butenandt and Karl Heinrich Slotta. See W. M. Allen, A. Butenandt, G. W. Corner, and K. H. Slotta, "Nomenclature of Corpus Luteum Hormone," Nature, vol. 136, number 303 (September 1, 1935), p. 303.

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

progesterone

noun

pro·​ges·​ter·​one prō-ˈjes-tə-ˌrōn 

: a hormone that is produced by the corpus luteum and causes the uterus to change so that it provides a suitable environment for a fertilized egg

Medical Definition

progesterone

noun

pro·​ges·​ter·​one prō-ˈjes-tə-ˌrōn 

: a female steroid sex hormone C₂₁H₃₀O₂ that is secreted by the corpus luteum to prepare the endometrium for implantation and later by the placenta during pregnancy to prevent rejection of the developing embryo or fetus

also : a synthetic steroid resembling progesterone in action