Urinary unconjugated cortisol in normally menstruating women and during estrogen-gestagen treatment.

Changes in 24-hour excretion of unconjugated urinary cortisol and creatinine clearance were determined in 9 normally menstruating women and in 9 women undergoing estrogen-gestagen treatment on 3 consecutive days. A correlation between the cortisol excretion and the creatinine clearance was found only in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The cortisol excretion increased neither during the menstrual cycle nor during the estrogen-gestagen treatment. A marked intra-individual variation in the excretion of unconjugated urinary cortisol was demonstrated in both groups.