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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
Extraction and Analysis of Cortisol from Human and Monkey Hair
Published on: January 24, 2014
Hair cortisol/cortisone in combined oral contraceptive users: An exploratory analysis
Daniela Seany Dorfling1, Gerda Venter2, Elardus Erasmus1
1Biomedical and Molecular Metabolism Research, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Objective:
To determine whether combined oral contraceptives (COCs) containing ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone are associated with higher chronic biological stress, indicated by hair cortisol and cortisone, among White South African women.
Study Design:
In this cross-sectional study, proximal hair segments (1 cm) from COC users (n = 24) and non-users (n = 24) were analyzed by LC-MS/MS.
Results:
No significant group differences were observed for hair cortisol (median 2.22 vs 2.59 pg/mg), cortisone (6.58 vs 6.95 pg/mg), total glucocorticoids (8.66 vs 8.98 pg/mg), or cortisol/cortisone ratio (0.38 vs 0.38). In controls, cortisol and cortisone correlated negatively with age and sample storage time. Excluding women with hair treatments revealed modestly higher glucocorticoids in COC users (effect size ≈ 0.3) and stronger correlations with BMI and body fat, suggesting such treatments may mask glucocorticoid signals.
Conclusion:
COC use was not associated with higher hair glucocorticoids, though hair treatments may influence detection.
Implications:
These findings suggest that COC use does not increase hair glucocorticoid levels, while underscoring the need to consider hair treatments as a potential confounder in biomarker-based stress assessments.
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