# How is progesterone used in chemical castration

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-progesterone-used-in-chemical-castration/299202>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 13, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-progesterone-used-in-chemical-castration/299202 "2005-04-13T23:22:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-progesterone-used-in-chemical-castration/299202/1 "2005-04-13T23:22:48Z")

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I know depo provera is used for chemical castration of sex offenders, and this is a similiar drug to progesterone. I also know that when I was into weightlifting some people who used the anabolic steroid nandrolone would suffer impotence and a lack of interest in sex. I have read nandrolone converts to progesterone, so that would explain that side effect to a bit (I assume the fact that nandrolone was less androgenic than testosterone also factored in).

So how does progesterone cause a lack of sexual desire in men? Does it cause a lack of interest in sex for women too? Aren’t there really bad side effects in men from having all those female hormones floating around?