What is hyperlipidemia?

Not medical advice: Hyperlipidemia is too many lipids (fats) in the blood, which usually means that you have high triglyceride levels and high cholesterol.

High bad cholesterol levels speed up hardening of the arteries, which increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. Hyperlipidemia can be triggered by smoking, not exercising and obesity. It can also be caused by kidney disease, diabetes, an under-active thyroid gland, and pregnancy.

Treatment includes niacin, fibrates, statin drugs, bile acid sequestering agents, a healthy diet, and lots of exercise.

See this WebMD web page for tips on lowering your cholesterol.

Of interest, according to a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, the University at Buffalo and Emory University in Atlanta, there is a link between infertility and cholesterol. The time to conceive is the greatest if both partners have high cholesterol. Pregnancy is also delayed if just the woman has high cholesterol. Learn more from the Washington Post.