1 Steroid hormones pass through the cell membrane of the target cell. 2  The steroid hormone binds with a specific receptor in the cytoplasm. 3  The receptor bound steroid hormone travels into the nucleus and binds to another specific receptor on the chromatin.teroid hormones cause changes within a cell by first passing through the cell membrane of the target cell. Steroid hormones, unlike non-steroid hormones, can do this because they are fat-soluble.