Dydrogesterone (Duphaston): uses in menopause, price in the Philippines

Prices checked October 2026. The Watsons listing showed "Notify Me", so stock may run out at times; call ahead or ask your doctor about an alternative. For example monthly totals, use the cost calculator.

"Duphaston" is searched about 18,100 times a month in the Philippines. Most of that is about pregnancy: threatened miscarriage, recurrent miscarriage, support during IVF, or bringing on a period. Duphaston product information (the 2025 summary of product characteristics filed with Nigeria's regulator, NAFDAC) lists those uses, along with painful or irregular periods, missed periods, endometriosis and some types of infertility. The PH leaflet may word this differently.

This page is about menopause. If you are asking about pregnancy:

• Pregnant or bleeding in pregnancy? See your OB now. Bleeding in pregnancy needs a check, not a search result.
• Trying to conceive, or have irregular cycles or PCOS? Your doctor decides if and how dydrogesterone fits. PCOS Philippines explains cycle problems and PCOS.
• Wondering if it prevents pregnancy? It does not. Dydrogesterone is not a contraceptive. See Birth Control Philippines for methods that suit your 40s.

Never adjust a pregnancy dose based on menopause information, or the other way round.

Estrogen is the part of HRT that eases hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms. If you have a uterus, estrogen on its own makes the womb lining thicken, which raises the risk of womb cancer. A progestogen such as dydrogesterone protects the lining.

What the label lists for HRT (Duphaston product information filed with NAFDAC, 2025; the PH leaflet may differ):

• Sequential: in each 28-day cycle of estrogen, dydrogesterone is added for the last 14 days, at 10 mg or 20 mg a day (20 mg is split into two doses). A withdrawal bleed usually happens while taking it.
• The label also says combined estrogen and progestogen should be used at the lowest effective dose and reviewed regularly.

Femoston, a combined estradiol plus dydrogesterone tablet sold abroad, was not found in PH retail: Not available in PH retail as of October 2026. In the Philippines, doctors usually pair separate products, such as estradiol gel with dydrogesterone tablets.

These are labelled examples. Your doctor sets your regimen and dose.

The label lists these as reasons not to take it (Duphaston product information, NAFDAC 2025):

• Vaginal bleeding that has not been checked
• Known or suspected cancer that depends on sex hormones
• Serious liver disease, now or in the past, until liver tests are back to normal
• An allergy to dydrogesterone or any ingredient

The tablet contains lactose, so people with rare inherited sugar-absorption problems (galactose intolerance, lactase deficiency) should not take it. The label also asks for extra care in conditions that can flare with hormones, such as porphyria.

When used with estrogen, the warnings for estrogen apply too: past breast cancer, blood clots, stroke or heart attack. See HRT for menopause.

Common ones listed on the label (Duphaston product information, NAFDAC 2025):

• Headache or migraine
• Breast tenderness or pain
• Nausea, vomiting or tummy pain
• Spotting, breakthrough bleeding or changes in your bleeding pattern

The label lists sleepiness as rare with dydrogesterone. Micronized progesterone, by contrast, can cause drowsiness, which is why its UK label says to take it at bedtime.

Tell your doctor about bleeding that is heavy, lasts longer than expected, or starts after months of no bleeding.

Both protect the womb lining in HRT. Some differences:

Prices checked October 2026. In a large French observational study (E3N), breast cancer risk was raised with estrogen plus most synthetic progestogens, but not clearly raised with progesterone or dydrogesterone. Studies like this cannot prove cause, so the question is not settled. Read more on Nakaka-cancer ba ang HRT?

If dydrogesterone is suggested as part of your HRT, these questions help you leave the clinic clear on the plan:

• "Am I on a sequential or continuous regimen, and on which days do I take the tablet?"
• "What bleeding should I expect, and what bleeding means I should call you?"
• "If Duphaston is out of stock, can I use Dydrogest or another progestogen instead?"
• "Do I still need contraception?" (Usually yes. UK guidance says until 2 years after your last period if you are under 50, or 1 year if you are 50 or over.)
• "When should we review how this is going?"

Write the answers down. A symptom diary also helps your doctor fine-tune the plan at follow-up.

• Micronized progesterone (Utrogestan): the body-identical option.
• Medroxyprogesterone acetate (Provera): ₱96.50 per tablet (Watsons).
• Tibolone: one tablet that does both jobs, after periods have stopped for a year.

Prices checked October 2026. Compare full regimens on HRT costs, and book a menopause consult through find a doctor.