learn Cyproterone
a synthetic anti-androgen and weak progestogen that inhibits DHT binding to androgen receptor
- Do I need a prescription to take cyproterone? Cyproterone acetate is a prescription-only medicine in every country that licenses it, and it has no FDA approval in the United States — regulators require a prescriber because the drug needs hormonal and liver monitoring and carries a dose-related meningioma risk flagged by the EMA in 2020.
- Is cyproterone only for women, or can men use it too? Cyproterone acetate is not a women-only drug — published reports describe use in men for prostate cancer, paraphilic disorders and gender-affirming therapy — but it is not FDA-approved for any indication, and European regulators restricted higher doses over a dose-related meningioma risk.
- Is cyproterone safe to use during gender transition? Regulators and a large French cohort study link higher-dose, long-term cyproterone acetate to meningioma, and its label also lists liver-enzyme and mood effects — so it is not a drug anyone should call safe in the abstract, and its use in gender-affirming care is a prescriber's decision with monitoring.