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Pregnenolone Steal Effect

Meaning

The Pregnenolone Steal Effect is a hypothetical but clinically relevant model suggesting that chronic, sustained activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis due to persistent psychological or physiological stress diverts the common steroid precursor, pregnenolone, away from the synthesis of sex hormones. This metabolic diversion prioritizes the production of cortisol to manage the stress response, thereby ‘stealing’ pregnenolone that would otherwise be converted into DHEA, progesterone, and ultimately testosterone and estrogen. This results in a relative deficiency of sex and neurosteroids.