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Cortisol-Progesterone Axis

Meaning

The Cortisol-Progesterone Axis is a clinical and physiological concept highlighting the intricate biochemical relationship and potential resource competition between the synthesis pathways of the glucocorticoid cortisol and the primary sex hormone progesterone. Both steroid hormones are derived from the common precursor pregnenolone, and their synthesis pathways share enzymatic machinery in the adrenal glands and, for progesterone, the gonads. Chronic activation of the stress response and high cortisol demand can potentially shunt metabolic precursors away from progesterone production, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the “pregnenolone steal.” This axis is critical for understanding the systemic interplay between chronic stress and reproductive health.