Pregnenolone

This test measures the amount of pregnenolone in the blood in order to aid in the diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Pregnenolone is a chemical that is the precursor of all steroid hormones that are made in the body. Cholesterol is converted to pregnenolone in the adrenal glands, after which several enzymes and other hormones complete reactions to convert this chemical to the steroid hormones cortisol, aldosterone and all the sex hormones. This test measures the amount of pregnenolone in the blood in order to aid in the diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a condition in which the enzymes needed to complete the reactions are deficient.

This test is performed in following conditions such as:

• Teen boys may have poor and/or delayed development of secondary sexual characteristics
• Gynecomastia
• Abnormal enlargement of the clitoris
• Teen girls may have hirsutism and polycystic ovaries
• Both males and females may have high blood pressure (hypertension)
• Male infants may have entirely female external sex organs and be mistaken for a female, or they may have sex organs that are not clearly male or female
• Teen girls will have symptoms of delayed puberty, with a lack of development of secondary sexual characteristics and no menstrual periods