Higher pre-pregnancy BMI is linked to more stress in mothers and more behavioral problems in two-year-old children.
Hair hormone levels can indicate stress after a medically indicated abortion.
September 2024 in “Toxicology Letters” Cortisone and cortisol levels in pregnant women’s hair increase as labor approaches, indicating higher stress.
May 2023 in “General and comparative endocrinology” Monkey hair cortisol levels are not affected by how fast their hair grows.
February 2023 in “Journal of medical primatology” Pair housing reduces stress behaviors and health issues in quarantined rhesus macaques.
June 2022 in “Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences” Higher testosterone harms sperm motility, while higher estradiol improves sperm survival.
June 2020 in “Authorea (Authorea)” First-time mothers had higher stress hormone levels in late pregnancy than mothers who had given birth before.
Hair cortisol content can indicate cortisol exposure and varies with age, puberty, and BMI in youth.
Measuring cortisol in hair can help assess adrenal function in asthmatic children using inhaled corticosteroids.
January 2018 in “Digital Scholarship - UNLV (University of Nevada Reno)” Hair cortisol levels can indicate chronic stress in children, with differences seen between races.
February 2017 in “Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature” Hair cortisol measurement is a promising, non-invasive tool for monitoring cortisol exposure over time.
May 2016 in “Endocrine Abstracts” Proximal hair cortisol is a reliable tool for diagnosing Cushing's Syndrome.
High-stress mothers had lower hair cortisol than low-stress mothers, and daughters' cortisol was linked to their stress response.
May 2012 in “Neurotoxicology and Teratology” Hair cortisol can be a reliable way to measure long-term stress.
January 2012 in “CINECA IRIS Institutial Research Information System (University of Genoa)” Hair cortisol reliably indicates stress in rabbits.
October 2008 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Long-term unemployment leads to higher stress levels.
November 2025 in “Canadian Journal of Diabetes” Measuring cortisol in hair helps understand stress and manage related health issues.
Hair cortisol may help identify adrenal insufficiency in sickle cell disease patients.
Distal hair cortisol is not a reliable measure of early pregnancy cortisol levels.
August 2016 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” April 2011 in “Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature” Hair cortisol is a reliable long-term stress marker during pregnancy.
296 citations
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October 2018 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” Hair cortisol is a reliable way to measure long-term stress in animals.
157 citations
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June 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol and cortisone levels increase with age, are higher in diabetics, vary by gender, decrease with frequent hair washing, and are lower in winter.
118 citations
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October 2014 in “Journal of Dairy Science” Tail switch hair is best for measuring cortisol in Holstein cows, with white hair and multiparous cows showing higher levels.
51 citations
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November 2005 in “Journal of Medical Primatology” Alopecia in captive rhesus macaques is affected by season, sex, age, housing, and stress, with complex links between stress hormones and hair loss.
38 citations
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September 2013 in “Therapeutic Drug Monitoring” First Nation individuals had higher hair cortisol levels, indicating more chronic stress.
30 citations
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July 2016 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” 24 citations
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January 2019 in “Hormone Research in Paediatrics”
23 citations
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August 2017 in “Scientific Reports” Darker hair may lead to higher cortisol readings, suggesting a need to adjust for hair color in studies.
22 citations
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May 2019 in “Animals” High hair cortisol levels indicate stress in cows due to poor shelter conditions and health issues.