DHEA

Research records

Historical source snapshot. Not freshly verified, not a recommendation. Study findings, community accounts and app defaults are not interchangeable.

Publication suitability · 2026-10-15: Historical reference only; not a clinical verification. Clinical, regulatory, efficacy, safety and dose claims are not independently established by this review.

DHEA

An adrenal steroid precursor to estrogens and androgens, sold over the counter and studied separately in a prescription vaginal form.

Evidence category: Regulator / guideline. This describes the source category, not approval or certainty.

Regulatory statement in source: FDA-approved only as a vaginal insert (prasterone); the oral supplement is not FDA-reviewed.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a steroid hormone produced mainly by the adrenal glands that serves as a precursor for estrogens and androgens. It is sold as an unregulated dietary supplement in the United States, while a synthetic form named prasterone has been evaluated in randomized trials for adrenal insufficiency and received FDA approval as a vaginal insert for menopause-related vulvovaginal atrophy. Regulatory status therefore differs sharply by formulation, indication, and country.

Benefits reported in the imported source

• FDA-approved prescription form (prasterone) demonstrated reduced dyspareunia and improved vaginal tissue markers compared with placebo in postmenopausal women.
• Widely available over the counter in the United States as a dietary supplement, unlike most steroid hormone precursors.
• Long track record of study as a substrate for downstream androgen and estrogen synthesis in adrenal insufficiency research.

Risks and limits

• Oral supplement forms sold in the United States are not FDA-reviewed for safety, purity, or the claims made on their labels.
• Randomized trials in adrenal insufficiency have found little to no benefit on fatigue, cognitive function, or sexual function despite raising hormone levels.
• Long-term safety data outside the vaginal-insert indication and outside adrenal insufficiency populations remains limited.

Source bottom line: DHEA's regulatory status is indication- and formulation-specific: an FDA-approved vaginal insert exists for menopausal dyspareunia, while oral DHEA sold as a dietary supplement carries no such review.

Uncertainty: Reference information only. Not medical advice.

Study protocols — reports, not instructions

Community and practice descriptions

Accounts of a practice are not evidence of safety or effectiveness. Words such as “standard”, “safe” or “recommended” describe the source account, not verified consensus or this wiki’s advice. Commercial and self-published citations are retained for traceability, not vendor endorsement or independent clinical corroboration.

Pharmacokinetic context

Historical half-life estimate: 20 hours. Legrain et al. 2000, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, PMID 10999810: apparent terminal half-life of blood DHEA is more than 20 hours after oral dosing Population/route context and estimates may differ. This is not a schedule or a verified human dosing rule.

Source references

• INTRAROSA (prasterone) vaginal insert label — DailyMed
• Long-term DHEA replacement in primary adrenal insufficiency: a randomized, controlled trial — PubMed