Skip to main content
Fig. 3 | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Fig. 3

From: Hair cortisol as a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis biomarker in pregnant women with asthma: a retrospective observational study

Fig. 3

Bar graphs comparing median hair cortisol concentrations. The median hair cortisol concentrations (y-axis) at each time point (x-axis) for Controls, No ICS, and ICS Treated are shown. Sample sizes for each time point are shown below the x-axis. a. Comparison inclusive of all women in the ICS Treated group who reported ICS use captured in the hair sample, regardless of frequency or duration, showing no significant difference among the three groups. b Comparison excluding women with hair cortisol concentrations ≥ 276 pmol/g and women in the ICS Treated group who reported ICS use less than five doses per week showing a significant difference between Controls and ICS Treated women in T3. However, when the samples with concentrations ≥ 276 pmol/g were included, the comparison was no longer significant (c). *P ≤ 0.05, error bars indicate the interquartile range, PC = preconception, T1 = first trimester, T2 = second trimester, T3 = third trimester, PP = postpartum

Back to article page