Pregnenolone, MS

Overview:

Pregnenolone is the first steroid the body produces from cholesterol, and every other steroid hormone, including cortisol, DHEA, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, is derived from it. Because it sits at the top of that pathway, it is sometimes measured when an enzyme block in steroid production is being investigated, particularly in forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Outside that context its clinical usefulness is limited, since a level at the start of a long pathway says little about the hormones produced downstream. This test uses mass spectrometry, which separates it from structurally similar steroids.

Categories:

Hormone, Healthy Aging

Biomarkers:

1 biomarker