This Intermediate Level course takes a look at the steroid hormone cascade in the body, starting with the precursor hormone cholesterol, from which all other steroid hormones downstream are synthesized from, either directly or indirectly. It also reviews the five major steroid groups based on the receptors to which they bind including: glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, androgens, estrogens, and progestagens.

At the completion of this course the reader will be able to:

1. Summarize how hormones 'work', including their synthesis, effects, elimination and receptor sites.
2. Describe the role that cholesterol plays in the Steroid Hormone Pathway.
3. List the five major Steroid Hormone Groups.
4. Identify the different hormones associated with each of the major hormone groups.
5. Explain the role that each hormone plays in the body.
6. Identify the enzymes that act on each hormone to convert it into the next hormone in the cascade.
7. Correlate a patient's lab results to certain disease states associated with that hormone.