Cortisol In Blood: What Affects The Test
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What Affects the Test
Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include:
- Having physical or emotional stress.
- Being pregnant. This can cause urine cortisol levels to be high.
- Having low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
- Eating, drinking, or exercising before the test.
- Taking medicines, such as birth control pills, estrogen, amphetamines, or corticosteroids.
- Having a radioactive scan within 1 week of a cortisol test.
| Last updated: | July 28, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Reviewed By: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Alan C. Dalkin, MD - Endocrinology |
| Editors: | Maria Essig, Tracy Landauer |
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