Associations of different hormonal contraceptive methods with hair concentrations of cortisol, cortisone, and testosterone in young women

Carrillo Vázquez, Mariana; Johnson-Ferguson, Lydia; Zimmermann, Josua; Baumgartner, Markus R; Binz, Tina M; Beuschlein, Felix; Ribeaud, Denis; Shanahan, Lilly; Quednow, Boris B

doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100161

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Carrillo Vázquez, M., Johnson-Ferguson, L., Zimmermann, J., Baumgartner, M. R., Binz, T. M., Beuschlein, F., Ribeaud, D., Shanahan, L., & Quednow, B. B. (2022). Associations of different hormonal contraceptive methods with hair concentrations of cortisol, cortisone, and testosterone in young women. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 12, 100161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100161

Abstract

Hair concentrations of cortisol, cortisone, and testosterone are non-invasive measures of cumulative steroid hormone levels. Use of contraceptives co-varies with levels of cortisol and cortisone in women's hair. It is unclear, however, how different contraceptive methods (i.e., that differ in their steroid hormone composition) affect corticosteroid and testosterone hair levels. The current study examines associations of contraceptives with hair steroid hormone concentrations in females from the community (N = 464, M = 20.6 years old,