Prefest

(Estradiol / Norgestimate)

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Relieves menopause symptoms and lowers your risk of osteoporosis.

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Our bottom line

Prefest (Estradiol / Norgestimate) is effective at treating symptoms related to menopause and bone loss. It has a difficult dosing schedule to follow, but doesn't affect your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as much as other estrogen products.

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Quick facts about Prefest
  • Drug class: Women's health
  • Rx status: Prescription only
  • Generic status: No lower cost generic available

Upsides

  • Prefest (Estradiol / Norgestimate) replenishes estrogen to your whole body and relieves multiple symptoms due to low estrogen (hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness).
  • Lowers your risk of fractures by keeping your bones healthy. Make sure you also get enough calcium and Vitamin D.
  • Improves mood, energy, and mental alertness for some people.
  • Good for women with an intact uterus. The norgestimate (a progestin) protects against the risk of cancer in the uterus caused by estrogen treatment.
  • Doesn't affect your cholesterol levels as much as other estrogen treatments.
Tried Prefest? Write a review!

Downsides

  • More potential side effects since it exposes your whole body to two hormones, estrogen and norgestimate (a progestin).
  • Dosing schedule can be hard to follow with the 2 different kind of pills (estrogen-only and estrogen/progestin pills).
  • Increases your risk of developing blood clots and stroke.
  • You may get irregular bleeding and spotting that can last a few months to a year.
How it works

Prefest (Estradiol / Norgestimate) is a combination oral medicine that works to balance hormone changes in your body during and after menopause. Estradiol (an estrogen) reduces hot flashes and night sweats and prevents bone loss, but can also harm cells in the uterus after menopause. Norgestimate (a progestin) protects the uterus from damage.

Quick facts about Prefest
  • Drug class: Women's health
  • Rx status: Prescription only
  • Generic status: No lower cost generic available

Used for

  • Hot flashes and night sweats
  • Vaginal dryness and inflammation
  • Prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Dosage forms

  • Pill
Tried Prefest? Write a review!

Prices and coupons

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Side effect rates for Prefest (Estradiol / Norgestimate)

From 579 clinical trials of Prefest when taken for postmenopausal hormone replacement
  • Headache
    23%23%
  • Upper respiratory-tract infection
    21%21%
  • Breast pain
    16%16%
  • Back pain
    12%12%
  • Abdominal pain
    12%12%
  • Influenza-like symptoms
    11%11%
  • Arthralgia
    9%9%
  • Vaginal bleeding (all)
    9%9%
  • Dysmenorrhea
    8%8%
  • Sinusitis
    8%8%
  • Vaginitis
    7%7%
  • Pharyngitis
    7%7%
  • Fatigue
    6%6%
  • Pain
    6%6%
  • Nausea
    6%6%
  • Viral infection
    6%6%
  • Flatulence
    5%5%
  • Tooth disorder
    5%5%
  • Myalgia
    5%5%
  • Dizziness
    5%5%
  • Depression
    5%5%
  • Coughing
    5%5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Where we got our data »

The placebo bar shows how common a side effect was for people taking a sugar pill instead of Prefest.

Prefest (Estradiol / Norgestimate)
Placebo

People taking Prefest felt side effect more

People taking Prefest felt side effect less

No difference

Risks and Warnings for Prefest (Estradiol / Norgestimate)

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    • Higher risk if:
    • › Using estrogen for more than one year

    Vaginal bleeding after menopause can be a warning sign of uterus (endometrial) cancer, so let your doctor know if you notice any unusual bleeding. When estrogen is prescribed to women after menopause who still have a uterus, progestin should be used with it to lower the risk of cancer. Low-dose vaginal estrogen products are often a better choice than oral pills for women 65 years or older who have vaginal symptoms.

    This is a black box warning. The FDA requires this warning when there is a significant risk of serious or life-threatening effects that anyone taking the drug should consider.

Means that some groups have a high risk of experiencing this side effect

Common concerns from people taking Prefest (Estradiol / Norgestimate)

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Pregnancy

Research studies with real people or animals found harmful effects on unborn babies. If you’re pregnant, the risks to your unborn baby outweigh the benefits.

See the FDA package insertSee pregnancy safe medications
Tip: Always talk with your doctor before you take any medication while pregnant.
FDA pregnancy category for Prefest
XUnsafe
Weight
  • Prefest (Estradiol / Norgestimate) is a mixture of estrogen and progestin. It could cause a higher risk of ovarian cancer, especially if you have a family history of it. Your doctor can help you weigh the risks versus the benefits of this medication.
  • Can cause nausea, dizziness, bloating, and breast tenderness.