19-nor-steroids

Novel 19-nor-steroids of the formula ##STR57## wherein the A and B rings have a structure of ##STR58## R.sub.3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and acyl of an organic carboxylic acid of 1 to 7 carbon atoms, R.sub.17 and R'.sub.17 together form .dbd.O or R.sub.17 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 8 carbon atoms and alkenyl and alkynyl of 2 to 8 carbon atoms, all optionally substituted with at least one member of the group consisting of halogen, alkoxy, alkylthio, --NH.sub.2, and dialkylamino optionally oxidized, aminoalkyl, dialkylaminoalkyl, dialkylaminoalkoxy, --OH, acyloxy of an organic carboxylic acid, free or esterified carboxy, --CN, --CF.sub.3, phenyl, furyl, thienyl, benzyl, X is selected from the group consisting of --CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 --O, phenylene and phenylenoxy linked to the C ring through a carbon atom, Y selected from the group consisting of a simple bond and saturated and unsaturated aliphatic of 1 to 18 carbon atoms optionally interrupted with at least one member of the group consisting of phenylene, --O-- and optionally oxidized --S-- and optionally terminated with phenylene, Z is a simple bond or --CH.sub.2 O-- linked to Y by a carbon atom, R.sub.A and R'.sub.A taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a heterocycle selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted by alkyl of 1 to 8 carbon atoms pyrrolidine or piperidine, pyrrole or pyridine optionally substituted by alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms morpholine, piperazine or pyrimidine optionally substituted by alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms with the proviso that when Z and Y are both simple bonds, X is not --CH.sub.2 -- or --CH.sub.2 O--.