Women's Health Considerations for Lipid Management

Understanding opportunities to reduce dyslipidemia before, during, and after pregnancy has major implications for cardiovascular disease risk prevention for the entire population. The best time to screen for dyslipidemia is before pregnancy or in the early antenatal period. The differential diagnosis of hypertriglyceridemia in pregnancy is the same as in nonpregnant women except that clinical lipidologists need to be aware of the potential obstetric complications associated with hypertriglyceridemia. Dyslipidemia discovered during pregnancy should be treated with diet and exercise intervention, as well as glycemic control if indicated. A complete lipid profile assessment during each trimester of pregnancy is recommended.