Pregnenolone Lab Test
Pregnenolone
Pregnenolone is made by the body from cholesterol, principally in the adrenal glands, but also in the liver, skin, brain, testicles, ovaries, and retina of the eyes. Pregnenolone is the grand precursor from which almost all of the other steroid hormones are made; including DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, the estrogens, and cortisol.
Pregnenolone is a part of a large family of structurally similar biochemicals that have sex-determining, anti-inflammatory, and growth-regulatory roles. Despite its powerful metabolites, pregnenolone is acknowledged to be without significant side effects, with minimal or no anabolic, estrogenic or androgenic activity.
Benefits of Pregnenolone
Pregnenolone nourishes and protects the brain and the nervous system. It has been found to be 100 times more effective for preserving or restoring memory than any other hormone. Pregnenolone has been reported to not only make people sharper and smarter but happier and younger looking and acting. It has been found to reduce joint pains and stress induced fatigue.
Like other hormones, pregnenolone levels decline with age. Many physicians and scientists believe that replacement of pregnenolone to youthful levels is an important step in the treatment of aging symptoms.
Other benefits of pregnenolone may include stress reduction, improvement of mood and energy, reduced symptoms associated with PMS and menopause, improved immunity, and repair of myelin sheaths.
Pregnenolone also operates as a powerful neurosteroid in the brain, modulating the transmission of messages from neuron to neuron and enhancing ability for learning and memory processes. As with DHEA, pregnenolone levels naturally peak during youth and begin a long, slow decline with age.
Pregnenolone Declines as We Age
By the age of 75 our bodies produce 60% less pregnenolone than the levels produced in our mid-thirties. For this reason pregnenolone is one of the biomarkers of aging. Like counting the rings of a tree, by measuring the level of pregnenolone at any given point of a person's life, it is often possible to make an educated guess as to his or her age.
Some other hormones that decline with age are DHEA, the estrogens, testosterone, progesterone and growth hormone. These are considered biomarkers of aging as well. Since pregnenolone provides the initial raw material from which all the other steroid hormones are made, some of our other hormones will decline in a parallel fashion.
As hormones are declining, loss of quality-of-life progressively declines as well. Signs of declining Pregnenolone include, increasing joint pains, arthritis, decline of energy, significant short term memory loss, visual and hearing impairment, cardiovascular disease, and sexual decline, just to name a few. Supplementing Pregnenolone may slow these age-related processes, improving one's quality of life by rejuvenating the body to more youthful functioning.
Where is Pregnenolone Found?
Human studies show that there are much higher concentrations of pregnenolone in the nervous tissue than in the bloodstream. Animal studies indicate that pregnenolone is found in the brain in ten-fold larger concentrations than the other stress-related hormones (including DHEA).
Dosage and Use
Typical doses range from 25mg to 100 mg and must be followed up with blood testing within a few weeks to determine hormone levels; physician supervision is highly recommended and mandatory for those already on a hormonal replacement protocol. Higher doses, such as those prescribed for treatment of arthritis must be administered under a physician’s care.