Cholesterol is a lipid molecule that is required to maintain the integrity of all cells of the body. In addition, cholesterol serves as a precursor for the synthesis of sex hormones such as androgens in men and oestrogens and progestogens in women.
Germaine Buck Louis, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, USA, and co-workers revealed that high blood cholesterol levels are associated to a reduced fecundity in both men and women. The researches demonstrated that couples in which one of the partners has elevated cholesterol levels have a lower probability of achieving pregnancy as compared to couples in which both partners have normal cholesterol concentrations. Similarly, excessive cholesterol levels were linked to longest time to achieve pregnancy.
While the precise reason underlying this phenomenon remains to be determined, high cholesterol concentrations could decrease fertility by altering the synthesis of sex hormones.
- Lipid Concentrations and Couple Fecundity: The LIFE Study,
Enrique F. Schisterman, Sunni L. Mumford, Richard W. Browne, Dana Boyd Barr, Zhen Chen, Germaine M. Buck Louis,
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2014.
DOI: 10.1210/jc.2013-3936
