Estradiol stearate
Estradiol stearate (brand name Depofollan), or estradiol octadecanoate, is a naturally occurring steroidal estrogen and an estrogen ester – specifically, the C17β stearate ester of estradiol. It occurs in the body as a very long-lasting metabolite and prohormone of estradiol. In addition, estradiol stearate is or has been available as a pharmaceutical drug for use via depot intramuscular injection. The drug was introduced in 1941 as Depofollan and was the first long-acting estrogen, although it has never been widely used. It has been reported in at least one source to have a duration of at least one month.
Estradiol valerate
Estradiol valerate, sold under the brand names Delestrogen, Progynon Depot, and Progynova among others, is an estrogen medication which is used in hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms and low estrogen levels in women, in hormone therapy for transgender women, and in hormonal birth control for women. It is also used in the treatment of prostate cancer in men. The medication is taken by mouth or by injection into muscle once every 1 to 4 weeks.
Side effects of estradiol valerate include breast tenderness, breast enlargement, nausea, headache, and fluid retention. Estradiol valerate is a synthetic estrogen and hence is an agonist of the estrogen receptor (ER), the biological target of estrogens like estradiol. It is an estrogen ester and a prodrug of estradiol in the body. Because of this, it is considered to be a natural and bioidentical form of estrogen.
Estradiol valerate was first described in 1940 and was introduced for medical use in 1954. Along with estradiol cypionate, it is one of the most widely used esters of estradiol. Estradiol valerate is used in the United States, Canada, Europe, and throughout much of the rest of the world. It is available as a generic medication.