Salivary Cortisol

Ordering the Salivary Cortisol Test with Genova Diagnostics

Cortisol is a hormone that is made by the adrenal glands, and the pituitary gland tells your adrenal glands how much cortisol to make in response to:

• Stress (cortisol is sometimes called the "stress hormone")
• Inflammation
• Regulating blood sugar and metabolism (how your body uses food for energy)
• Controlling blood pressure
  

In a healthy individual, cortisol levels increase and decrease at different times of the day. It's usually higher in the morning and lower at night unless a person works during late hours or has changing shifts.

Factors that can affect cortisol levels:

• Exercise
• Hypothyroidism
• Infection
• Injury or disease
• Medications such as hydrocortisone, prednisone or birth control pills, obesity, pregnancy
• Physical or emotional stress
  

Which Patients is the Salivary Cortisol Test with Genova Diagnostics Used For?

This test is often used as a follow up to the Adrenocortex Stress Profile.

Symptoms That May Lead A Practitioner to Order a Salivary Cortisol Test Include:

Symptoms of too much cortisol may include:

• Weight gain
• Thin arms and legs
• Round face
• Increased fat around the base of the neck or between the shoulder blades
• Easy bruising
• Wide purple streaks on the stomach, breasts, hips, and under the arms
• Muscle weakness
  

Symptoms of not enough cortisol may include:

• Long-lasting fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Abdominal (belly) pain