Main findings
Measures of cortisol in hair clearly
demonstrate an increase in cortisol
levels throughout pregnancy with a peak around childbirth. This is in
line with prior reports based on salivary cortisol, and supports the
validity of measurement of cortisol in hair samples since these levels
mirror the activity of the HPA axis throughout pregnancy. In the third
trimester the increase in hair cortisol was significantly more
pronounced in women expecting their first child compared to multiparae
that showed a decrease in hair cortisol three months prior to
childbirth.