etynodiol diacetate etynodiol diacetate etynodiol diacetate, or ethynodiol diacetate, sold under the brand names demulen and femulen among others, is a progestin medication which is used in birth control pills. the medication is available only in combination with an estrogen. it is taken by mouth. etynodiol diacetateclinical datatrade namescontinuin, demulen, femulen, luteonorm, luto-metrodiol, metrodiol, ovulen, othersother namesethynodiol diacetate; norethindrol diacetate; 3β-hydroxynorethisterone 3β,17β-diacetate; 17α-ethynylestr-4-ene-3β,17β-diyl diacetate; cb-8080; sc-11800routes ofadministrationby mouthdrug classprogestogen; progestin; progestogen esteratc codeg03dc06 (who) g03aa01 (who) g03fa06 (who) (with an estrogen)legal statuslegal status in general: ℞ (prescription only) identifiers iupac name phenanthren-3-yl] acetate cas number297-76-7 8056-92-6pubchem cid9270pubchem sid46506993drugbankdb00823chemspider8913unii62h10a1236keggd01294chebichebi:31580chemblchembl1200624comptox dashboard (epa)dtxsid4020614 echa infocard100.005.496 chemical and physical dataformulac24h32o4molar mass384.516 g·mol−13d model (jsmol)interactive image smiles o=c(o4/c=c3\(2cc1((cc1(c#c)oc(=o)c)2cc3)c)cc4)c inchi inchi=1s/c24h32o4/c1-5-24(28-16(3)26)13-11-22-21-8-6-17-14-18(27-15(2)25)7-9-19(17)20(21)10-12-23(22,24)4/h1,14,18-22h,6-13h2,2-4h3/t18-,19-,20+,21+,22-,23-,24-/m0/s1key:onkumrgiyfnpjw-kieakmpysa-n etynodiol diacetate is a progestin, or a synthetic progestogen, and hence is an agonist of the progesterone receptor, the biological target of progestogens like progesterone. it has weak androgenic and estrogenic activity and no other important hormonal activity. the medication is a prodrug of norethisterone in the body, with etynodiol occurring as an intermediate. etynodiol, a related compound, was discovered in 1954, and etynodiol diacetate was introduced for medical use in 1965. the medication remains available today only in the united states, canada, and a few other countries. medical uses etynodiol diacetate is used in combination with an estrogen such as ethinylestradiol or mestranol in combined oral contraceptives for women. side effects