Cortisol and Testosterone Coupling: Enhanced Hormone Reactivity to Intercollegiate Athletic Competition in Varsity Women Athletes Open Access

Abstract

In a variety of settings, cortisol and testosterone are positively “coupled.” That is, within-person fluctuations of these hormones occur in parallel, with increases and decreases in one hormone associated with increases and decreases in the other. To explore the relationship between cortisol and testosterone coupling and hormone reactivity in the context of athletic competition, a dataset comprised of salivary cortisol and testosterone levels from varsity women athletes from six different Emory University sports teams (volleyball 2002, 2005, and 2008; softball 2004; tennis 2009; soccer 2013) assayed for saliva samples obtained on at least one neutral day (baseline) and various different stages of one or more intercollegiate competitions was assembled. For women who played, salivary levels of cortisol and testosterone rise significantly during the period of competition. C and T reactivity are significantly correlated – the higher an athlete’s reactivity for one hormone, the higher her reactivity for the other. Whether for C or T, hormone reactivity is conserved across two competitions -- the most reactive individuals for the first competition tend to be the most reactive for the second. Whether for C or T, athletes for whom these two hormone were coupled, showed substantially higher hormone reactivity to competion that women for whom these hormones were uncoupled. These results suggest that C and T are parts of a coordinated and complementary response to the physical and/or psychological stress of athletic competition. 

Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..……1

Cortisol……………………………..…...…………………………………………………….1

Testosterone………………………………………………………………………...……….6

Exercise Effects on Cortisol and Testosterone Levels.………………………………9

Testosterone, Cortisol, and Athletic Competition…….……………..………..…….9

Testosterone and Cortisol Coupling…….…………………………………..…..……..10

Methods………………………………………………………………………………….……11

Results………………………….………………………………………………..……………17

Discussion………………………………………………………………………………….…27

References………..……………………………………………….……………………….…37

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Psychology
Degree	B.S.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Psychobiology Psychology, Physiological
Keyword	Women Competition Hormones Athletics Testosterone Cortisol
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Edwards, David, Emory University
Committee Members	Dilks, Daniel, Emory University Konner, Melvin, Emory University

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