Contraceptive pill affect Saliva cortisol testing?

[GreenTealSeal_]

Hello,

Does the combined contraceptive pill affect the saliva cortisol test?

I’m actually just looking over my prev. results and wondering if it’s time to retest but I cannot be without my hormones from the pill.

Looking back my very first set of results on the pill I’m actually quite low in the am and pm (I had coffee in the day before the other two timings cos no one told me how to take it🫠)

The second test I took it was sky high but I was taking too much t3 thyroid medication and had a bad flare up of symptoms on that day (apparently cortisol saliva testing can be inaccurate if adrenaline is high?)

Is it worth still doing a test on the pill?

Thanks

GTS

[Regenallotment Ambassador]

hey sorry you haven’t had an answer, I honestly don’t know either, but… here is a link I found (NHS source) that suggests of testing cortisol the patient needs to be off oestrogen for 6 weeks.

cuh.nhs.uk/patient-informat...

[GreenTealSeal_ in reply to Regenallotment]

Hello! Thanks for your reply! It’s a tricky one isn’t it!? I really can’t be without anything for 6 weeks and I think nhs says this because blood cortisol measures your total levels which obvs the pill would affect and make it look sky high even if its actually not.

I'll maybe try and email the company I got the saliva cortisol from and see what they say! A functional practitioner told me before you need to stop all hrt/ocp for 2 weeks prior but I don't see why because that isn't long enough for it all to leave your system and things return to baseline. Weird!?

I don’t have a follow up with my endocrinologist until 2026 😭 so I won't be getting a synathen or anything any time soon

If I can get an answer from the company I will share here incase it helps anyone in future!