Should oral combined contraceptives be held prior to overnight dexamethasone suppression test to rule out Cushings?

Topics: Endocrinology • Pituitary Disorders • Adrenal Disorders

If so, how long should OCPs be held to reliably trust the dex suppression test results?

Answer from: at Community Practice

Yes, they should be stopped for one month due to an increase in cortisol levels secondary to oral estrogen-increasing CBG. However, many women will still suppress while on OCP. Therefore, an alternative approach is to do the test while on OCP and to repeat it off OCP if the test is abnormal.

Comments

at UCLA
I agree with Dr. @Salvatori's approach. A normal 1...

Answer from: at Community Practice

I don't think so. The estrogen's effect on increasing CBG is chronic and holding one dose of oral contraceptive may not reduce the CBG, and may need to be held for 2-3 months.

Comments

at Johns Hopkins Department Of Endocrinology Diabetes And Metabolism
Generally, there is no need to stop BCP during the...

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