Is high cholesterol during pregnancy dangerous?

Being pregnant makes moms always consider their options to see if they are really good for both you and your growing baby. Another common condition in pregnant women is high cholesterol in the blood during pregnancy. Does it have anything to do with diet? Is there a way to fix that?

Cholesterol levels increase spontaneously at certain points during pregnancy to help provide the necessary nutrients to the growing fetus. The same is true even for women who had “normal” cholesterol levels before pregnancy. For women who already have high cholesterol during pregnancy, that level can rise even more.

Fortunately, there are ways to manage cholesterol throughout pregnancy to help ensure that both mother and baby are as healthy as possible.

High cholesterol during pregnancy is also known as fatty blood

Cholesterol is an essential compound found in most body tissues. It is important for the formation of cell membranes, vitamin D as well as several hormones. The nature of cholesterol is insoluble in water, so it cannot move around in the body, but thanks to the lipoprotein particles.

When in high concentrations, cholesterol can form plaques in the artery walls of the heart that put you at a higher risk of heart attack or stroke . To check for normal cholesterol, it will be determined based on total cholesterol including HDL, LDL and triglycerides.

HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) also known as "good cholesterol" protects the body against atherosclerosis. In contrast, it is LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) or "bad cholesterol" that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Triglycerides are a form of fat found in the blood and used by the body for energy.

Eating too many fatty foods increases the level of LDL in the blood. This condition is also known as hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia. Too high a LDL or too low HDL results in fat build up in the blood vessels, preventing the blood from circulating well through the arteries. Here are the values ​​that signal your body to have high cholesterol:

LDL: greater than 160 mg / dL

HLD: less than 40 mg / dL

Triglyceride: greater than 150 mg / dL

Total cholesterol: greater than 200 mg / dL.

The cause of high cholesterol during pregnancy

Studies have shown that a normal person during pregnancy can also increase blood cholesterol levels including LDL and HDL. Cholesterol levels can rise up to 25 to 50% during the second and third trimesters.

The reason is that cholesterol is essential for the formation and function of steroid hormones such as estrogen and progesterone , two hormones that are important for a healthy pregnancy.

Cholesterol is also needed for the healthy development of the fetus, helping to form the brain, limbs as well as the development of cells. In addition, the mother's unscientific diet, excessive fat consumption, high cholesterol foods are also causes of high cholesterol during pregnancy.

The dangers of having high cholesterol during pregnancy

Many complications can be mentioned if pregnant mothers have high cholesterol levels during pregnancy such as stroke, heart attack , kidney failure, hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, gallstones ...

Not only that, another piece of information is hereditary steatosis. Therefore, when pregnant women get this disease during pregnancy, the rate of children born with this disease is also very large.

In addition, when pregnant, the mother cannot take medication because the medicine can cause severe side effects on both mother and baby. Therefore, the condition will become more serious and the mother needs to have strict supervision and inspection to ensure safety.

When should pregnant mother worry?

Elevations in cholesterol normally cause no symptoms, so the only way to detect it is to have blood tests done. If the results show that the blood cholesterol level exceeds 200 mg / dL, mothers should not be too worried because it is necessary to base on other cholesterol components to conclude.

For effective screening, to encourage pregnant women to have regular testing during pregnancy is essential. If you have high HDL and normal LDL, rest assured that your body has good cholesterol protection so there is no need to worry.

Conversely, if LDL is high, you need to contact your doctor immediately as well as change your living habits to improve.

The cholesterol problem explained above may also be normal during pregnancy and will return to normal after about four to six weeks after birth.

If you had high cholesterol even before pregnancy, contact your doctor. Because some cholesterol-lowering drugs may not be recommended during pregnancy, your doctor will change your medications or give you advice to help you control your cholesterol effectively.

Some measures to help you limit bad cholesterol

High cholesterol during pregnancy can lead to serious complications that affect both mother and fetus. To limit that, mothers can adjust their diet and activities by applying the following simple tips:

In matters of eating, mothers should choose foods containing low cholesterol such as green vegetables, mushrooms, pumpkin or products such as peanuts, beans, lean meat ...

The fruits are recommended to use more because in case of high blood fat, eating a lot, especially less sweet fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, plums, apples, guava ... will increase the amount of fiber for the muscle. can you. The nature of the fiber in these fruits is in the form of soluble fiber, when eaten in excess will reduce the fat and cholesterol that the body absorbs. Not only that, they also help a lot in digestive problems and prevent constipation in pregnant women.

Minimize the use of foods high in saturated fat such as animal fat or milk, as they can easily block your arteries. You can use milk, but be sure to choose one with only about 1-2% fat. When cooking, mothers can choose to use oils such as soybean, olive, and sunflower oils instead of conventional cooking oils.

Pregnant mothers should not eat more than 255g of red meat such as buffalo meat, beef, sheep ... each week because they have a lot of cholesterol. Instead, use lean meats or poultry with the skin removed. Fish can also be a great alternative with high levels of omega-3 to help protect the heart. Some types of fish that we can choose from are herring, salmon, mackerel, tuna ...

In addition to making changes in their diet, expectant mothers can also limit high cholesterol during pregnancy by exercising regularly. Light activities like walking or cycling or yoga are also effective to help reduce bad cholesterol.

To ensure a healthy pregnancy and say no to high cholesterol during pregnancy, mothers need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, have a reasonable diet and should have regular health checks to promptly detect the disease and have appropriate treatment plans.