We previously demonstrated that cortisol regulated ₁-adrenoceptor-mediated contractions differentially in nonpregnant and pregnant uterine arteries. Given that chronic hypoxia dur ing pregnancy has profound effects on maternal uterine artery reactivity, the present study investigated the effects of chronic hypoxia on cortisol- mediated regulation of uterine artery contractions. Pregnant (d 30) and nonpregnant ewes were divided between normoxic control and chronically hypoxic (maintained at high altitude, 3,820 m, PaO₂: 60 mmHg for 110 days) groups. Uterine arteries were isolated and contractions measured. In hypoxic animals, cortisol (10 ng/ml for 24 h) increased norepinephrine-induced contractions in pregnant, but not in nonpregnant, uterine arteries. The 11-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibitor carbenoxolone did not change cortisol effects in nonpregnant, but abolished it in pregnant uterine arteries by increasing norepinephrine pD₂(-log EC₅₀) in control tissues. The dissociation constant of norepinephrine-a1-adrenoceptors was not changed by cortisol in nonpregnant, but decreased in pregnant uterine arteries. There were no differences in the density of glucocorticoid receptors between normoxic and hypoxic tissues. Cortisol inhibited norepinephrine- induced increase in Ca²⁺ concentrations in nonpregnant, but potentiated it in pregnant arteries. In addition, cortisol attenuated phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate- induced contractions in normoxic nonpregnant and pregnant uterine arteries, but had no effect on the contractions in hypoxic arteries. The results suggest that cortisol differentially regulates ₁-adrenoceptor- and PKC-mediated contractions in uterine arteries. Chronic hypoxia suppresses uterine artery sensitivity to cortisol, which may play an important role in the adaptation of uterine vascular tone and blood flow in response to chronic stress of hypoxia during pregnancy.