Why more women than men have cholesterol gallstones: studies of biliary lipids in pregnancy

More women than men have cholesterol gallstones. This probably to a large extent owing to ovarian hormones. Our preliminary studies suggest that the biliary lipid composition and gallbladder function may be abnormal in pregnancy. Studies are in progress to clarify these suggestive changes. We hope that the studies will allow us to determine the relevance of pregnancy to the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstones.