What impact does cholesterol have on my fertility?

Cholesterol plays an essential role in ensuring that our organism works correctly. Its impact on the heart is still given priority in terms of analysis because of the elevated impact and frequency of diseases of this kind.

Whilst all the other areas of influence have been analysed to a much lesser degree, in some cases such as infertility, the effects of this essential component are now starting to come to light.

What is the importance of cholesterol in fertility?

The body uses cholesterol to produce sex hormones such as testosterone, oestradiol and progesterone, and these are essential to reproduction.

Drastic increases or decreases in normal cholesterol levels lead to significant changes in these processes and can interfere in reproduction and, therefore, in the chances of getting pregnant.

With the aim of studying the impact of cholesterol on fertility, numerous studies have been carried out involving measuring cholesterol levels in couples who wish to have children.

The results of these studies show that couples who have hypercholesterolemia, or high cholesterol levels, take longer to get pregnant than couples with normal cholesterol levels. The results also show that if only one of the two has high cholesterol levels, the impact is the same. Cholesterol, therefore, is another of the factors to be taken into account when trying to get pregnant. 

What recommendations can be followed to help regulate cholesterol levels?

Keeping cholesterol levels under control is highly beneficial for our general health and we now also know that it is beneficial to fertility.

The Mediterranean diet is ideal for keeping cholesterol levels within healthy limits. Its content in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids stems mainly from in fish, olive oils and seeds. It is also important to eat vegetables, legumes, cereals and fruit.

At Instituto Bernabeu, we focus on providing patients with personalised medical healthcare and this is why we carry out an interdisciplinary analysis of the patients who seek our advice. The Endocrinology and Nutrition Unit at Instituto Bernabeu evaluates couples’ diets in order to determine if they have a nutritional disorder of any kind that is affecting their fertility.

Azahara Turienzo, biologist at IBBIOTECH, part of the Instituto Bernabeu group.