Early Delivery, High Cholesterol Linked?
Experts find a connection but are not sure which causes the other

(HealthDay News) -- Though they admit it's hard to know which condition comes first, researchers have confirmed that women who deliver prematurely are more likely to have higher cholesterol levels later in life.

"Total cholesterol and LDL [low-density lipoprotein] cholesterol were elevated in women who'd had a preterm birth, before 34 weeks," Janet Catov, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and an author of the study, told HealthDay .

"What this study tells us," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, director of the New York University Medical Center's Women's Heart Program, "is that a woman's previous medical history, particularly conditions that happen during pregnancy, may be a clue to her later heart disease risk."

"I would advise a woman who's had a preterm birth and who now has high cholesterol to have her cardiac risk factors evaluated at regular intervals, at least with a yearly physical," she told HealthDay .

Catov and her fellow researchers compared 47 women who delivered early -- before 37 weeks -- with 104 women who gave birth to full-term babies. Most of the women in the preterm group delivered before 34 weeks.

About seven years later, the researchers took blood samples to assess cholesterol levels and found that women who had given birth before 34 weeks had the highest levels of total cholesterol -- an average of 202.6 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Those who delivered between 34 and 37 weeks averaged cholesterol levels of 190.1 mg/dl, and mothers who delivered at full-term had levels of 180.1 mg/dl.

Women who gave birth prematurely also had higher levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol. In fact, they were more than three times more likely to have high LDL levels than the other women, the study found. Catov presented the findings at a meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation.

What the researchers don't know, however, is whether higher cholesterol contributes to preterm delivery or if something happens during pregnancy that makes a woman more likely to develop high cholesterol later.

"Very early in pregnancy, women with preterm birth have elevated lipids, which may be exacerbated in pregnancy," Catov said. "Perhaps there's a normal range, and if you're higher or lower, it could be a problem."

In any case, she suggested that, after delivery, women should "keep your doctor apprised of your medical conditions and preterm births or other adverse pregnancy outcomes, and keep up-to-date with recommended screenings."

Expectant mothers, new moms or women who gave birth years ago can lower their cholesterol levels by eating fewer foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol, such as fatty meats, butter, cheese and whole-milk dairy products, according to the American Heart Association. Exercise also has been shown as a means to lower cholesterol levels, and the Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise a day most days of the week.

On the Web

To learn more about a healthy pregnancy, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Janet Catov, Ph.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh; Nieca Goldberg, M.D., director, Women's Heart Program, New York University Medical Center, and associate professor, New York University School of Medicine; March 27, 2008, presentation, Society for Gynecologic Investigation annual meeting, San Diego; American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: March 31, 2009
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