Women and high cholesterol -- not so simple.

[deborahjross]

Web MD reports a study that shows a woman's blood cholesterol changes with her ovulatory cycle. If your doc has urged you to begin medication for high cholesterol, you might want to be re-tested. Source was The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Comments

[janni.livejournal.com]

Am I reading wrong, or is the article saying contradictory things about when cholesterol is highest and lowest?

As someone who falls squarely in that more than 20% variation group, I'm very intrigued indeed by this ...

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Now that is interesting. Thank you!

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

A graph would have been useful, wouldn't it? I think what they mean is that in the first half of a woman's cycle, estrogen is lower than in the second half, total cholesterol is higher but HDL ("good") is lower. Estrogen levels rise after ovulation, so HDL rises and total cholesterol (think LDL, "bad") drops.

This also helps explain why my total cholesterol, which always used to be under 170, is now creeping over 200 post-menopause. Otoh, it shouldn't matter when I get it tested.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Yet another way in which women's cardiology issues differ from men's. It's about time we paid attention!