08/12/2025
Have you heard of "The Steal"?
( by Melissa poepping)
CORTISOL (The real "jerk" of the story)
The stress hormone. It's actually referred to in the medical world as "the death hormone" because of how it impacts vital body systems.
High cortisol can manifest in several different ways
• weight gain in the face or abdomen (aka: spare tire)
• Increase facial hair
• irregular menstrual cycle
• Thinning or easily bruised skin
• muscle weakness
• fatigue
• anxiety / depression
• sleep disturbance (waking at 3 or 4 am which is "the cortisol dump / surge")
We NEED this hormone to be balanced because of what it regulates
• Metabolism
• immune response
• stress
• other hormones....(Well, kind of)
Here is what cortisol steals the body of when it's too high
■ The Pregnenolone Steal
When the adrenals (where cortisol is produced) are fatigued from chronic stress, the body prioritizes production of the hormone cortisol.
And it does this at the expense of other hormones derived from pregnenolone.
Pregnenolone is the precursor to ALL the other hormones.
This prioritization issue is where the problem begins to go out of control.
Pregnenolone is the starting point for progesterone, estrogen, DHEA, and testosterone.
This increased demand, shifts the body's primary focus of Pregnenolone to cortisol production and thereby steals its pathways that lead to the production of s*x hormones like progesterone and DHEA (imbalance = fatigued, weight gain, low libido, infertility)
WHEN FLOURISHING.....
● Estrogen (the beauty hormone) maintains gorgeous skin health, beautiful hair, stimulates collagen production, skin elasticity and hydration.
● Progesterone (the happiness horome) regulates mood, and demeanor by influencing neurotransmitters like GABA which help us to be calm, and relaxed.
These imbalances .... The Steal .... is affected by the softest and slightest imbalance or trigger.
It's no wonder that during ANY phase, at ANY age, women feel "disconnected" and not themselves.
