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
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