Should I Avoid progesterone During Pregnancy? | VeriMom

What to use instead

Pregnancy-safe ingredients that serve a similar function:

Pregnancy-safe products to use instead

Products built around the safer ingredients above, scored "no known risks" or "low risk".

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Avero

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Pregnancy-Safe Alternatives to progesterone | VeriMom

Ingredients — Pregnancy-Safe Ingredients Database — 28,000+ Ingredients Rated

See also

• Is progesterone safe during pregnancy?
• Is progesterone safe for babies?
• What are pregnancy-safe alternatives to progesterone?

FAQ

Is progesterone safe during pregnancy?

Progesterone is an active endogenous steroid hormone with documented effects on reproduction; regulatory dossiers and SDSs list reproductive toxicity hazard statements (H360/H361/H362) in C&L notifications and company classifications, and ECHA registration material and some SDSs flag H360FD/H361 concerns (but a clear EU Annex VI harmonised CLH entry was not identified in the searched records). Exogenous progesterone can affect fetal/placental development in animal studies and is biologically active in the fetus (demonstrated placental physiology and effects in animal models). Topical preparations (over‑the‑counter creams) have been shown to produce measurable systemic exposure in humans, so dermal cosmetic use could produce exposure relevant to pregnancy. Sources: ECHA substance/C&L info and registration dossier; SDSs listing H360FD/H361; PubMed and clinical reviews on progesterone physiology and effects; reviews on systemic exposure from topical progesterone products.

Is progesterone safe while breastfeeding?

Progesterone and/or its metabolites are known to appear in human milk and the drug literature and reviews state that progesterone 'appears in breast milk'; some regulatory/SDS materials list H362 (may cause harm to breast‑fed children). Because progesterone is biologically active and transfers to milk, topical systemic exposure could result in infant exposure via breastfeeding. Clinical guidance and product literature note milk excretion of progesterone. Sources: PubMed/clinical reviews; ECHA/C&L and SDS listings; product/clinical monographs.

Is progesterone safe for baby skin?

Hazard and mechanism scores are unchanged for infants in the absence of infant‑specific toxicology showing higher intrinsic susceptibility, but infant dermal exposure is higher because baby skin has higher surface‑area‑to‑weight and a less mature barrier. If progesterone in a cosmetic formulation produces measurable systemic absorption in adults, infant dermal exposure should be considered higher (adult exposure score +1). Given documented systemic absorption from topical products, infant skin exposure via topical products containing progesterone would be a concern. Sources: clinical/lactation references about milk excretion and transfer; literature on topical progesterone systemic exposure; ECHA/SDS listings.

How does VeriMom score progesterone?

VeriMom scores progesterone at 13/100 (high risk) based on EU CosIng status, ECHA hazard classifications, and peer-reviewed PubMed studies. Our scoring pipeline is fully transparent.

What are pregnancy-safe alternatives to progesterone?

See our curated list of pregnancy-safe alternatives to progesterone based on similar function and a no-known-risks safety band.