How to get tested for cortisol? Preparation, day of the cycle, norm and interpretation of the results

Cortisol is a glucocorticoid. Adrenocorticotropic hormone contributes to the production of this element in the adrenal glands. Along with other hormones that control a variety of processes in the body, cortisol has a key effect on some body functions. In this regard, it is necessary to know how to take an analysis for cortisol and how to properly prepare for this study.

How does cortisol work in the body?

To realize the importance of this element for human life, you need to clearly imagine what functions it performs in the body. Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands in response to the release of adrenaline into the blood. At the same time, it softens the manifestations of adrenaline stress. In other words, it evens out the blood pressure that has risen as a result of stress, normalizes the heartbeat and general hormonal levels.

In addition to the main function - to protect the body from the effects of adrenaline, cortisol has a number of others. So, this hormone is a participant in the process of assimilation of sugar from the resulting food and its transfer to the cells.

The hormone has an overwhelming effect on inflammatory mediators, thus preventing inflammation in a wide variety of organs.

Cortisol helps cells regulate the level of minerals and other beneficial trace elements.

A trace element is able to remove excess lipids from the body, which affects the general well-being of a person and his weight. To make it clear - an obese person who is obese has very little cortisol in his blood.

But if there is a lot of hormone in the blood, it exceeds the norm, then this also leads to very dangerous conditions. The only acceptable reason for a significant increase in cortisol in the blood is severe stress or pregnancy.

In other cases, a violation of the level of trace elements leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Indications for the study of cortisol levels

Cortisol is part of the endocrine chain, starting in the hypothalamus, continuing in the pituitary gland and ending in the adrenal glands. Any deviation in the work of this system is an occasion to study the question of how to take an analysis for cortisol.

Cortisol levels can be sent for analysis even because of prolonged, chronic depression. But still, the basic principles are more serious pathologies.

Firstly, Itsenko-Cushing's disease. Symptoms of this disease are overweight gained by the patient in a very short time, high blood pressure and sagging muscle tissue.

Secondly, how to take a cortisol test, they begin to explain hypertension, which conventional medications have stopped helping. That is, when the elevated blood pressure level does not decrease.

Thirdly, Addison's disease, by the way, is a very rare pathology. In this case, the adrenal gland is affected in a person, which leads to a decrease in the level of not only cortisol, but also a number of other trace elements of the endocrine system.

Preparation and delivery of analysis

How to pass a urine test for cortisol, the attending physician explains. You need to understand: the accuracy of the diagnosis and, accordingly, the adequacy of treatment depend on the accuracy of compliance with the prescribed rules for preparing for this procedure.

1. First of all, you need to take an analysis on the day of the menstruation cycle indicated by the doctor. If this is not possible, it is necessary to inform the doctor decrypting the results on which day of the cycle the samples were collected. Usually this study is carried out on the 5th or 7th day of the cycle. When to take a cortisol test for a woman, the gynecologist explains.
2. It is necessary to stop taking hormonal drugs 3-5 days before the analysis. For example, birth control pills, especially if they contain hormones. The list of recommended drugs is brought to the patient by the doctor. Or he makes an amendment in decoding, if nevertheless the patient was forced to take the drug until the very day of analysis.
3. Everyone remembers that cortisol enters the bloodstream as a result of stress, that is, an adrenaline rush. In this regard, before taking the test for the hormone cortisol, stressful situations should be avoided in every way. If necessary, you can take sick leave for this time and not go to work. After all, there are many more irritants and stressful situations than at home.
4. Before taking a blood test for cortisol, it is imperative to stop sporting activities. About 3-5 days.
5. 24 hours before going to the laboratory, you need to forget about smoking. Of course, the absence of cigarettes for a smoker is stress. And it is also contraindicated. But in this situation, everything depends on the person, and if he calmly transfers fresh air, then you can not smoke. If the situation is the opposite, then it will be necessary to warn about his addiction to the doctor.
6. The same applies to alcohol - 2 days before the test, you must stop using it.
7. On the day of analysis, 8 hours before taking blood or urine, you can not eat. All tests are given only on an empty stomach. Especially on the level of the hormone.

It is not enough to know how to take an analysis for cortisol, for an accurate analysis you need to take it 2 or even 3 times.

Hormone norms

It is clear that for every person, especially women, the level of the hormone considered normal varies greatly. However, scientists were able to average the measurement results for age categories.

In humans, up to 1 year of life, the level should be from 28 to 966 nmol / L.

Further, the content of trace elements in the blood begins to grow:

• 1-5 years - the level is 28-718 nmol / l;
• 5-10 years - 28-1049 nmol / l;
• 10-14 years - 60-690 nmol / l;
• 14-16 years old 28-856 nmol / l;
• From 16 years and older - 140-640 nmol / L.

The level of trace elements in the blood also varies depending on what time of the day the analysis was made. By the way, in men all daily and age-related fluctuations are much less than in women.

The rate of cortisol during pregnancy

During pregnancy, even if a woman knows how to take a cortisol test correctly and, most importantly, prepares for it, the microelement norm in the blood can be exceeded by 5 times. In her position, this is not a signal of the pathology that has begun, it is rather the norm. Therefore, when analyzing cortisol in pregnant women, pregnancy is taken into account up to a week.

If cortisol is elevated

When the patient followed all the instructions on how to properly take a urine or blood test for cortisol, and the level of the hormone in the blood was significantly exceeded, this indicates the development of dangerous conditions in his body.

1. It may be an adrenal gland tumor.
2. Tumor in the pituitary gland.
3. A low level of any hormone, and especially cortisol, is a consequence of hypothyroidism, a disorder of the thyroid gland.
4. Long and deep depression.
5. A person's disease of AIDS.
6. If the patient is a woman, then the presence of a tumor in the ovary is assumed.
7. Diabetes.
8. The development of cirrhosis of the liver.

The most harmless reason for this condition is the use of hormonal drugs. To normalize the situation, it is enough to stop taking them.

If cortisol is lowered

A decrease in the trace element in the blood has noticeable symptoms. First of all, a person is rapidly losing weight. Along with this, he feels weakness in the arms and legs, dizziness and pain in the lower abdomen. Blood pressure is constantly reduced.

All this can tell the doctor about the following pathologies developing in the patient's body;

1. Violation of the production of ACTH - adrenocorticotropic hormone. This usually occurs with a tumor in the brain.
2. The adrenal glands are destroyed. This is either Addison's disease, or another similar pathology.
3. A number of medications, such as Dexamethasone or Prednisolone, can reduce the level of a trace element. They are taken for asthma or to strengthen connective tissue.
4. The thyroid gland is broken. This can be caused by the appearance of nodes or tumors in it.

Normalization of cortisol

The level of any trace element in the blood is normalized by the effect on the cause of its violation. That is, at the first stage of treatment, the level of cortisol is set using synthetic hormones. But in the future, the patient undergoes a full diagnosis in order to identify the causes of this situation. And already as a result of additional research, a treatment plan is being built.