Mestranol
Mestranol is a synthetic estrogen that has been used in some combined oral contraceptives. It is a prodrug of ethinylestradiol, meaning that after oral administration it is metabolically demethylated in the liver to form ethinylestradiol, which provides the primary estrogenic activity.
Because mestranol must be converted to ethinylestradiol, the resulting estrogen exposure can be more variable, and
In clinical use, mestranol functions by the same general mechanism as other estrogens used in contraception:
Safety considerations for mestranol are consistent with those for other estrogens used in contraception. Potential risks