DHEA and pregnenolone aren't the hormones you've heard most about — but they're the raw material your body uses to make many of them. As production declines with age, so does the hormonal foundation those downstream systems depend on.
By age 70, most people produce about a third of the DHEA and pregnenolone they did in their 20s. That upstream shift shapes energy, cognition, libido, and how the body responds to stress — even when the 'downstream' hormones on a lab report still look acceptable.
DHEA
DHEA is the precursor to both estrogen and testosterone — the hormones that together maintain lean muscle, libido, and metabolic drive. Targeted replenishment may support the hormonal foundation many women (and men) lose as they age.
In women, low DHEA is often reflected in fatigue, low libido, mood changes, and difficulty maintaining muscle despite training. In men, it can amplify the symptoms of low testosterone. Restoring DHEA to a healthy range often improves how other hormone therapies land.
Pregnenolone
Pregnenolone sits even further upstream — it's the precursor to nearly every major steroid hormone in the body, including cortisol, DHEA, progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone. Emerging research points to its role in cognitive performance and neurological function, with levels declining steadily over time.
Some clinicians describe it as 'the memory hormone' because of its impact on cognition and neural repair, though the research is still developing.
Why they're often used alongside estrogen and progesterone
Estrogen and progesterone replace what's been lost directly. DHEA and pregnenolone support the upstream machinery — they help the system as a whole function more like it used to. Together, they create a more complete restoration than any single hormone on its own.
Whether either is right for you depends on your symptoms, labs, and the clinical picture your provider builds with you. Lab-based dosing matters: over-supplementing DHEA can convert to unwanted downstream hormones and cause side effects.