Results
Fig 1 shows that the controls showed the expected highly
significant increase in saliva cortisol 20 minutes after immersing
the hand in ice cold water (p < 0.001). This response
was generally absent in the group of pregnant
women who showed no significant mean increase, despite
a small increase in some individuals. The effect was quite
variable in the postpartum women. Some showed a large
increase, others not and the increase for the group as a whole was not significant.