Concerning the mom who MUST go on a cholesterol lowering drug.

Does the MD know that cholesterol levels go way up during pregnancy?  My
cholesterol is usually borderline 205-215, and I have a family history of
heart disease.  So when Columbia University and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital
in NYC were offering free screenings to students and staff, I waddled up the
hill to take advantage of this.  (I was a student at Columbia at the time and
8 months pregnant with my second child.)  My level was 325.  I rationalized
that this was due to the salad with eggs and cheese that I had just consumed
for lunch.  The following week I skipped breakfast and had it done again.
385!

I had resigned myself to the necessity of taking medication when I finished
breastfeeding, but I did look into what normal cholesterol values are during
pregnancy.  Well, 40% above baseline is normal.  (Found this information in
the section on fat metabolism in Williams Obstetrics.  I have the 17th
edition.)  Neither my OB nor my professor of maternal and infant nutrition
were aware of this.

I never had a cholesterol level done while I was breastfeeding, but in recent
years it has again been 205-215. Not taking any meds, but losing some weight
and giving up those trips to Dairy Queen would probably help  :-)

Kim

Kim Block  RNC, MSN, IBCLC
Westfield, New Jersey, USA  (suburb of New York City)
[log in to unmask]