High cholesterol and family planning

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi. I am 26 years old female married. I recently found out that I have high cholesterol my total is 291 and LDL is 220 triglycerides is 151 and hdl is 45. My doctor told me to eat right and exercise. I started playing tennis about a month ago. I am not over weight and do not have history of heart disease in my family. I am a vegetarian and don't eat any kind of meats or fishes. I do tend to worry a lot about small things and get upset very easily. Also I tend to sleep very late at night and tend to binge snacks at midnight , could all this be a factor affecting my cholesterol level. Also with my current cholesterol level would it be safe to plan for a baby. Is it safe to get pregnant if my cholesterol level is not normal. I do not want to be on any cholesterol medication at such a young age. Please advice Thanks Ss

Dear Shikha: According to the American Heart Association the desirable Total cholesterol level is <200 mg/dL. Your total cholesterol is 291mg/dL, which is in the high risk category. LDL (bad) cholesterol should be <100mg/dL, and your level is 220mg/dL which is in the very high category. With HDL (good) cholesterol, higher levels are better. An HDL cholesterol of 60 mg/dL or higher gives some protection against heart disease. Your HDL level is 45mg/dL, and a level less than 50 mg/dL for a woman puts you at higher risk for heart disease. Triglyceride is another form of fat. If your level is <150 mg/dL it is normal and in your case it is 151mg/dL which is almost normal. High cholesterol is one risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease in addtion to smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, family history and advancing age. Therefore I would advise a trial of diet and lifestyle modification, to try and improve lipid levels to within normal range. There is no evidence to suggest high cholesterol levels have any adverse effects on fertility, but I would advise diet and lifestyle modification to improve overall health and reduce risks of future cardiovascular disease. Statins are the usual treatment for high cholesterol as lipid-lowering therapy, but they are contraindicated in pregnancy, therefore I would not advise administration if you are planning a family in the near future.