The concerns that arise in a woman when she finds out she is pregnant are not few. Doubts come from everywhere—about appearance, about diet, physical activity, and especially about health, such as questions surrounding high cholesterol during this delicate and special phase.

Warning Sign?

Many mothers wonder what the consequences of high cholesterol during pregnancy are, and how this might affect the fetus or themselves over the nine months. Well, everyone knows that high cholesterol is not a good sign and that some care is needed, but during pregnancy, this can even be considered normal1. However, if the numbers exceed the limits, even greater care is needed to avoid any type of complication.

Why Does Cholesterol Rise During Pregnancy?

All these changes have to do with the hormonal changes a woman’s body goes through during this period. It’s always important to know that a woman’s body is transforming because it’s constantly adapting to the life it is nurturing. That’s why it’s very common for estrogen and placental hormones to increase, causing a considerable rise in cholesterol. It’s also necessary to take into account that a woman’s body changes a lot, there is significant weight gain, and often the cardiovascular system cannot keep up with these changes at the same rate, which ends up making a woman’s blood pressure influence the rise in cholesterol2. Of course, there are several other factors that may cause this, such as hypothyroidism and increased progesterone in a woman’s body, but these are also common occurrences during pregnancy and are not necessarily bad things. But this does not mean that there are no risks when cholesterol is high during pregnancy. The real danger lies in assuming that, because it is common, there are no cases where the mother and baby can be affected.

Is High Cholesterol During Pregnancy Risky?

The risks of high cholesterol during pregnancy affect not only the mother, but also the baby. The primary reason is that cholesterol is simply the build-up of fat in a person’s blood vessels. When the build-up of this fat is high, cholesterol is high. The problem is that if these levels are above normal for pregnant women, there will also be fat accumulation in the child’s blood vessels, which may cause heart disease from an early age. Other risks surrounding high cholesterol during pregnancy are related to the child’s development and pose a risk of complications during labor. Since there is danger both for mother and baby, it is necessary to prevent cholesterol from rising, but if a woman already has high cholesterol, there’s no reason to panic, as there are ways to lower cholesterol during pregnancy.

How to Lower Cholesterol During Pregnancy

First, it’s important to say that hypertension medications are contraindicated for pregnant women and can cause even greater problems, so it is necessary to look for other ways to reduce cholesterol during pregnancy. There are basically two effective ways with proven results that do not require medication:

  • Diet
  • Exercise

Diet

Diet to lower cholesterol during pregnancy needs to be very well controlled and, if possible, overseen by a nutritionist. This is because, despite the need to lower cholesterol, it’s also essential to eat well so that the baby remains healthy. Although it may seem like a dilemma, there are healthy diets that can be followed and that are effective3.

Exercise

The case of exercise is quite similar to diet, especially regarding the dilemma a woman must face needing to exercise while also being pregnant. There are various exercises specifically for pregnant women that get the body moving and have numerous benefits besides reducing cholesterol during pregnancy, such as water aerobics and walking, for example. Of course, professional guidance is needed to make sure this type of activity does not end up causing other problems. All these methods for lowering cholesterol are also recommended for pregnant women who do not have high cholesterol, both to ensure these women’s health is optimal and ready for labor, and to prevent high cholesterol during pregnancy from becoming a problem. Pregnancy already brings plenty of worries to a mother’s mind, so the more a woman can protect herself against this kind of problem, the better for her and her baby, of course. Having high cholesterol is often not a good sign in life, but when talking about high cholesterol during pregnancy, it is quite common for there to be many cases. But even though this is something considered normal, it is dangerous to think that everything is always fine, especially for women who already suffered from this kind of issue before becoming pregnant. It is necessary to be vigilant at all times so that cholesterol does not exceed the levels considered normal even for pregnant women and end up causing a big problem during the pregnancy. And even though it is possible to lower cholesterol, the best course of action is to prevent it from rising and causing complications. See Also: Trying to Conceive, Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, and Pregnancy Photo: StockSnap