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Pregnenolone Steal Pathway

Meaning

The Pregnenolone Steal Pathway describes a hypothetical or clinical scenario where excessive demand for cortisol production, often driven by chronic stress, diverts the common precursor pregnenolone away from the synthesis of downstream sex hormones like testosterone and progesterone. This diversion can result in functional deficiencies in anabolic or reproductive hormones despite adequate precursor availability. It highlights the prioritization of the HPA axis over gonadal function.