Cholesterol ‘hits fertility’
Women with higher levels of ‘bad’ fats early in life ‘go on to have fewer babies’
WOMEN who have high cholesterol while young may struggle to have more than one child, research suggests.
A study of 4,300 women found those with too much ‘bad’ fat in the blood – either LDL cholesterol or triglycerides – have fewer children later in life.
They were up to twice as likely to only have one baby as those with healthy blood fat levels, the researchers found. And they were also more likely to struggle to have any children at all, although this effect was marginal.
Cholesterol, a fatty substance made by the liver, is essential for health. It forms the structure of our cells and is used in the creation of hormones like oestrogen.
The researchers, from the University of Bergen in Norway, believe cholesterol and other fat creates ‘oxidative stress’ in the body, which reduces fertility. The study, published in the BMJ Open journal, tracked Norwegian women aged 20 and over between 1994 and 2003.
The scientists took blood tests when the women had not yet conceived and then followed them up for the next decade. They concluded that women with an ‘unhealthy’ blood fat profile of high LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and a low levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, were 20% to 100% more likely to be pregnant only once. High levels of LDL were also associated with greater odds of having no children.
The researchers believe the damage done by cholesterol and other bad fats could be linked to infertility by triggering problems including polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis.
Several studies have found that women who have more babies are less likely to suffer heart disease in later life. Some scientists speculated that pregnancy had a ‘protective’ effect on women’s health.
But these findings may offer a new explanation: that women with higher cholesterol tend to have fewer children, while high cholesterol also raises the risk of heart disease.
Four out of every five adults who come into Irish hospitals have high cholesterol, David Burke, Head of Cardiology at Dublin’s Beacon Hospital, said last week.