Hair cortisol content can indicate cortisol exposure and varies with age, puberty, and BMI in youth.
Distal hair cortisol is not a reliable measure of early pregnancy cortisol levels.
High-stress mothers had lower hair cortisol than low-stress mothers, and daughters' cortisol was linked to their stress response.
July 2011 in “Neurotoxicology and Teratology” October 2008 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Long-term unemployment leads to higher stress levels.
February 2024 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Higher anxiety during pregnancy is linked to lower cortisol levels in newborns' hair.
February 2024 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Higher prenatal anxiety is linked to lower cortisol levels in newborns' hair.
69 citations
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August 2016 in “PubMed” High stress can disrupt hair growth, but certain supplements might help.
Hair hormone levels can indicate stress after a medically indicated abortion.
489 citations
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June 2005 in “The FASEB Journal” Human hair follicles can produce cortisol like the body's stress response system.
September 2024 in “Toxicology Letters” Cortisone and cortisol levels in pregnant women’s hair increase as labor approaches, indicating higher stress.
January 2026 in “Universität Zürich, ZORA” August 2025 in “Journal of Affective Disorders” Gender-diverse people face more depression and anxiety, partly due to stress and lower cortisol levels.
January 2026 in “Open Science Framework”
May 2026 in “The Knowledge Bank (The Ohio State University)” Mare and foal hair cortisol levels are strongly linked, indicating potential for assessing fetal health and stress.
April 2026 in “Frontiers in Veterinary Science” Male cats have higher stress levels than females.
August 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” 1 citations
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January 1978 in “PubMed” Certain chemical changes to cortisol and progesterone can increase or decrease their ability to inhibit hair growth.
August 2016 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” May 2026 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” May 2026 in “Research Square” January 2026 in “Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)” January 2026 in “Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)” The study aims to see if maternal hair cortisol levels during pregnancy relate to adverse childhood experiences.
Cows moving from tie-stall to free-stall housing had more heel problems, less joint lesions, and higher stress levels.
August 2018 in “Psychological Science” May 2026 in “Microchemical Journal” January 2026 in “SSRN Electronic Journal” 10 citations
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November 2019 in “Neuroendocrinology” Measuring 17-hydroxyprogesterone in hair can help monitor androgen levels in people with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
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April 2016 in “Clinical Endocrinology” Scalp hair 17-OHP and androstenedione levels can help monitor treatment in CAH patients.