Pregnenolone Steal Syndrome

With Christmas here, it isn’t a pleasant experience for many, and some people find it an extremely stressful time, so I thought blogging about pregnenolone steal syndrome would be appropriate.  While Christmas stress may be short-lived, many other stressors are prolonged.  In response to stress, our adrenal glands begin to increase cortisol production in order to help the body cope.  Pregnenolone is considered the “grandparent” hormone because it helps to produce many other hormones, but in response to stress, it is channeled into producing cortisol rather than hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and aldosterone: this is the primary cause of adrenal fatigue.  Some providers may say adrenal fatigue does not exist, for me, it is difficult to comprehend that view, after all, how can we explain a low cortisol level in a patient that has a ton of obvious stress, and says they are not coping?  My clinical interpretation is that at one time, the patient had high cortisol levels, but the adrenal glands are now fatigued.  When cortisol is high, and other hormones such as testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen are lower, this is a classic case of pregnenolone steal syndrome. 

Pregnenolone is also responsible for the following:

·        cognitive abilities

·        the immune system

·        maintaining the health of your skin

·       your sleep cycle

·       how you manage response to stress

We need pregnenolone, and if it is taken to produce cortisol it should be replaced.  Chronic stress, inflammation, and pregnenolone steal syndrome are common underlying causes of PMS, difficult perimenopause and transition into menopause, infertility, male menopause, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Managing your stress is the best way of dealing with any fatigue-related health issue, but some people require supplementation whether through bioidentical hormone replacement with pregnenolone, diet, or herbal supplements.

If you have any questions or concerns about adrenal fatigue, pregnenolone steal syndrome, or hormone deficiency, please contact me.

Michelle Koch MN: NP