Blood test · Summertown, Oxford
✓ Finger-prick sample · result while you wait · Before 10am

Morning cortisol blood test
in Oxford.

A morning measurement of cortisol, the hormone that follows a strong daily rhythm and peaks soon after waking. Booked for the first appointments of the day, before 10am, so the result means something.
Book Cortisol test
All 13 blood tests
Cortisol test icon
Price per test
£39
Finger-prick · result while you wait · Before 10am
OVER 18S · NO GP REFERRAL · SUMMERTOWN
  • One fingertip sample, no needle in the arm
  • Pharmacist explains the result before you leave
  • Printed or emailed result, and a GP letter if needed
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📞 Call Summertown
Screening test, not a diagnosis. Out-of-range results are confirmed by a laboratory test through your GP.
Same visit
Result while you wait
£39
All-inclusive, no clinic fee
Before 10am
Preparation
18+
Adults only · book online
What the test measures

What Cortisol tells you.

Cortisol is made by the adrenal glands and helps regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, the immune response and your response to stress. Levels are highest between about 8 and 9am and fall through the day, which is why a single reading is only useful if it is taken early. A clearly low or clearly high morning level is a reason to see your GP.

It can…

  • Show whether your morning cortisol is within the expected range
  • Flag a clearly low or high level that your GP should investigate

It can’t…

  • Measure how stressed you feel - "adrenal fatigue" is not a recognised medical diagnosis
  • Diagnose Cushing's syndrome or Addison's disease, which need specialist tests
  • Give a useful result later in the day
Worth booking if

A good fit if…

  • You have persistent tiredness, dizziness on standing, weight change or low mood and want a first check
  • Your GP has mentioned your cortisol and you want a reading between appointments
  • You want to rule a hormone problem in or out before changing your lifestyle
See your GP first if

Not the right first step if…

  • Severe tiredness with weight loss, dizziness, fainting or dark patches of skin - see your GP promptly
  • You take steroid medicines (tablets, inhalers, creams or injections): tell us, as they change the result
A finger-prick test cannot assess an emergency. Call 999 for chest pain, breathlessness or collapse.
Your visit

What happens, start to finish.

About thirty minutes in total, most of it the pharmacist talking you through the result.

1. Book online

Pick your test and a time at Summertown.

2. A few questions

Medicines, symptoms and consent, in the consultation room.

3. One finger-prick

A few drops onto the test cartridge. Less than a flu jab.

4. A short wait

The analyser runs while you wait in the pharmacy.

5. Result explained

Against the UK ranges, with what it can and cannot tell you.

6. Your next step

Printed or emailed result, advice, and a GP letter if one is needed.

Understanding your result

What your result looks like, and what it means.

Your printed and emailed result shows your value on a traffic-light bar like this, with a plain-English line and your next step.
Below range
Morning range
Above range
Low – GP soon
Expected
High – repeat or GP
Example: 310 nmol/L at 9:20am sits in the green band – expected.
ResultWhat it usually meansWhat we do
Within the morning reference rangeExpectedNo action needed. Tiredness has other common causes – iron, vitamin D and thyroid are worth considering.
Below the morning rangeLowNeeds a GP review soon; a very low result is acted on the same day.
Above the morning rangeHighCan be stress, illness, the pill or HRT, or a timing issue. We repeat it or refer to your GP depending on the level.
These bands are the usual UK guide; your printed result shows the exact reference range the analyser uses. Some healthy people fall just outside a range, and one reading is a snapshot. The pharmacist reads your result with your history, and anything that needs confirming goes to your GP with a letter.
Cortisol FAQ

Common questions, answered.

Cortisol peaks in the early morning and falls through the day. A reading at 3pm cannot be compared with the morning range, so it would not help you.

Avoid hard exercise the day before, come in rested, and tell us about any steroid medicine, the pill or HRT – all of these change the result.

No. A single cortisol level does not measure stress or burnout. It can rule a hormone problem in or out, which is a different and useful question.

No, but keep breakfast light and skip the gym that morning.

A timed serum cortisol like this one, taken first thing in the morning when the level peaks. If it is clearly low or high, the GP or a specialist arranges the follow-on tests (such as a Synacthen or dexamethasone test) that actually diagnose adrenal problems.

Yes, when a GP suspects an adrenal or pituitary problem. It is not offered for tiredness or stress alone, which is why some people choose a private morning check as a first step.

Often checked together

Add a test from the same finger-prick.

Up to four tests can run from one sample, each £39. See all 13 blood tests →

Vitamin D blood test

£39 · same visit
Read more →

Ferritin (iron stores) test

£39 · same visit
Read more →

HbA1c (blood sugar) test

£39 · same visit
Read more →
Where

MediPill Summertown

📍 227 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7HQ
📞 01865 558 348
Blood tests run Monday to Friday. Opening hours and directions →
Book at Summertown
Who runs it

Pharmacist-led

Led by pharmacist Uthmaan Abbasi (GPhC 2237035). Analysed on a professional point-of-care analyser in our consultation room – your sample never leaves the building.

Ready for your Cortisol test?

£39, result while you wait, explained by a pharmacist. Book online for Summertown.
Book Cortisol test →