Faculty Opinions Recommendation of Hair Cortisol Levels as a Retrospective Marker of Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis Activity Throughout Pregnancy: Comparison to Salivary Cortisol
TLDR Hair cortisol is a reliable long-term stress marker during pregnancy.
This study by D'Anna-Hernandez et al. compared cortisol levels in hair and saliva to assess hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity during pregnancy. Involving 21 healthy women, the research found that both hair and salivary cortisol levels increased throughout pregnancy and decreased postpartum, with a good correlation when saliva sampling matched the hair growth period. The study concluded that hair cortisol measurements are reliable indicators of chronic stress, offering advantages such as being unaffected by sampling procedures and providing a long-term stress marker. This method could be beneficial for studying stress in various populations, including children and high-risk professionals.
