Unstable correspondence between salivary testosterone measured with enzyme immunoassays and tandem mass spectrometry

Prasad, Smrithi; Lassetter, Bethany; Welker, Keith M.; Mehta, Pranjal H.

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104373

Cited by 33 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Most of the previous studies did not provide such detailed information on their sampling specifity, which makes it hard to evaluate differences between their and our sampling procedure. However, probably most important, more and more research reports that analysis methods of hormone assays may have a large impact on results (Prasad et al, 2019;Schultheiss et al, 2019;Welker et al, 2016). More precisely, analyzing hormone samples via mass spectrometry (LCMS) is seen as the gold standard, but all studies so far, including ours, used recently criticized immunoassays (for a detailed overview see Schultheiss et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…sample sizes, cultural differences, longitudinal vs. cross-sectional analyses), there might have been important differences in used research methods, especially regarding hormonal assays. Importantly, a recent study reported that differences in storage time or freeze-thaw cycles might already have a high impact on hormone assay results (Prasad et al, 2019). Further, if sampling takes part over several months or sampling sessions differ seasonably, seasonal variability in testosterone levels might be another explanation for differences in results (Stanton et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Are sexual desire and sociosexual orientation related to men’s salivary steroid hormones?

Stern¹,

Karastoyanova²,

Kandrik³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Objective: Although it is widely assumed that men’s sexual desire and interest in casual sex (i.e., sociosexual orientation) are linked to steroid hormone levels, evidence for such associations is mixed. Methods: We tested for both longitudinal and cross-sectional relationships between salivary testosterone, cortisol, reported sexual desire and sociosexuality in a sample of 61 young adult men, each of whom was tested weekly on up to five occasions. Results: Longitudinal analyses showed no clear relationships between steroid hormones and self-reported sexual desire or sociosexual orientation. Cross-sectional analyses showed no significant associations between average hormone levels and self-reported sexual desire. However, some aspects of sociosexuality, most notably desire for casual sex, were related to men’s average hormone levels. Men with higher average testosterone reported greater desire for casual sex, but only if they also had relatively low average cortisol. Conclusions: Our results support a Dual Hormone account of men’s sociosexuality, in which the combined effects of testosterone and cortisol predict the extent of men’s interest in casual sex. However, we did not detect compelling evidence for an association of within-subject hormone shifts and sexual desire or sociosexual orientation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are sexual desire and sociosexual orientation related to men’s salivary steroid hormones?

Stern¹,

Karastoyanova²,

Kandrik³

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…sample sizes, cultural differences, longitudinal vs. cross-sectional analyses), there might have been important differences in used research methods, especially regarding hormonal assays. Importantly, a recent study reported that differences in storage time or freeze-thaw cycles might already have a high impact on hormone assay results (Prasad et al 2019 ). Further, if sampling takes part over several months or sampling sessions differ seasonally, seasonal variability in testosterone levels might be another explanation for differences in results (Stanton et al 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the previous studies did not provide such detailed information on their sampling specifity, which makes it hard to evaluate differences between their and our sampling procedure. However, probably most importantly, more and more research reports that analysis methods of hormone assays may have a large impact on results (Prasad et al 2019 ; Schultheiss et al 2019 ; Welker et al 2016 ). More precisely, analyzing hormone samples via mass spectrometry ( LCMS ) is seen as the gold standard, but all studies so far, including ours, used recently criticized immunoassays (for a detailed overview see Schultheiss et al 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, using a storage temperature of -80 °C would have been ideal, whereas we only used a storage temperature of -32 °C, which has previously been reported to induce error variance for salivary testosterone levels estimated by immunoassays (Granger et al 2004 ). Further, to increase replicability and transparency, future studies should emphasize to report more detailed information on their hormone assay methods and consider recently suggested guidelines in assessing hormones, such as few freeze-thaw cycles, short storage times and potentially controlling for seasonal variation (Prasad et al 2019 ; Stanton et al 2011 ). Third, we did not report any meta-analytic results including all previous studies and equivalence tests to test potential null results, as we think this is beyond the scope of our paper.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Are Sexual Desire and Sociosexual Orientation Related to Men’s Salivary Steroid Hormones?

Stern

Karastoyanova

Kandrik

et al. 2020

Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology

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Objective Although it is widely assumed that men’s sexual desire and interest in casual sex (i.e., sociosexual orientation) are linked to steroid hormone levels, evidence for such associations is mixed. Methods We tested for both longitudinal and cross-sectional relationships between salivary testosterone, cortisol, reported sexual desire and sociosexuality in a sample of 61 young adult men, each of whom was tested weekly on up to five occasions. Results Longitudinal analyses showed no clear relationships between steroid hormones and self-reported sexual desire or sociosexual orientation. Cross-sectional analyses showed no significant associations between average hormone levels and self-reported sexual desire. However, some aspects of sociosexuality, most notably desire for casual sex, were related to men’s average hormone levels. Men with higher average testosterone reported greater desire for casual sex, but only if they also had relatively low average cortisol levels. Conclusions Our results support a Dual Hormone account of men’s sociosexuality, in which the combined effects of testosterone and cortisol predict the extent of men’s interest in casual sex. However, we did not detect compelling evidence for an association of within-subject hormone shifts and sexual desire or sociosexual orientation.

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Reproductive hormone measurement from minimally invasive sample types: Methodological considerations and anthropological importance

Gildner

2020

American J Hum Biol

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Energetic investment in human reproduction has long been recognized as costly, influencing developmental, physiological, and behavioral patterns in males and females. These effects are largely coordinated through the actions of reproductive hormones (eg, testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone). Here, the utility and limitations of minimally invasive sampling techniques are explored, providing a novel perspective on how reproductive hormone measurements can enhance reproductive endocrinology research. Salivary steroid measures are most commonly used, although several dried blood spot and urine assays are also available, and researchers continue to explore the efficacy of other sample types. These relatively simple measures have facilitated the collection of multiple samples from a single participant, allowing researchers to more accurately track the diurnal and cyclical variation exhibited by many reproductive hormones. Ultimately, the ability to collect fine‐grained participant data allows biological anthropologists to better test questions central to human reproductive ecology, life history theory, and public health. For example, fieldwork using these techniques suggests that testosterone profile variation across populations is influenced by energetic constraints and reproductive status. Moreover, hormone concentrations shape the development of sex characteristics, with implications for evolutionary questions related to sexual selection. Hormone levels also can be used to identify a range of medical concerns (eg, suppressed hormone production levels linked with psychosocial stress). These findings highlight how minimally invasive collection techniques can be applied to test diverse evolutionary hypotheses and identify important health concerns. Still, more work is needed to standardize collection and laboratory analysis procedures, thereby enabling more direct data comparisons between researchers.

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Unstable correspondence between salivary testosterone measured with enzyme immunoassays and tandem mass spectrometry

Cited by 33 publications

References 43 publications

Are sexual desire and sociosexual orientation related to men’s salivary steroid hormones?

Are sexual desire and sociosexual orientation related to men’s salivary steroid hormones?

Are Sexual Desire and Sociosexual Orientation Related to Men’s Salivary Steroid Hormones?

Reproductive hormone measurement from minimally invasive sample types: Methodological considerations and anthropological importance

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