NIH Study Finds High Cholesterol Is Linked To Low Fertility
By Cyndi Root
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced in a press release that a new study shows that high cholesterol levels are associated with infertility. In conjunction with researchers at the University at Buffalo in New York and Emory University in Atlanta, the NIH studied couples trying to get pregnant. Results were published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of the Endocrine Society. The new findings suggest that couples should control their cholesterol levels while trying to conceive.
Enrique Schisterman, Ph.D., chief of the Epidemiology Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) said, “From our data, it would appear that high cholesterol levels not only increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, but also reduce couples’ chances of pregnancy.”
The LIFE Studies
Scientists had a theory that since cholesterol is used to make sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen, cholesterol may be related to fertility. As part of the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) studies, investigators studied 501 couples from 2005 to 2009. The couples were trying to conceive but were not being treated for infertility. Participants were over the age of 18, from four counties in Michigan and 12 counties in Texas. Scientists studied the couples for up to one year.
Investigators tested for free cholesterol, which differs from the physician-administered cholesterol test that measures cholesterol subtypes: HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. Doctors use the ratio of HDL to LDL to determine heart disease risks. For study purposes, investigators used free cholesterol, which does not distinguish between cholesterol subtypes. Researchers accounted for racial differences, body mass, age, and education.
The findings were published online in JCEM, titled, “Lipid Concentrations and Couple Fecundity: The LIFE Study.” The results showed that couples with the highest cholesterol levels took the longest to become pregnant. Couples where the woman had high cholesterol but her male partner did not, showed longer times to achieve pregnancy.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is found in all of the cells in the body. It is a fat-like substance used to make vitamin D and hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Crestor and Lipitor are popular drugs used to treat high cholesterol by slowing the buildup of plaque in arteries. Opportunities may be available for pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments specifically for high cholesterol-induced infertility.