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[Souris]

I had some blood tests a week or so ago, and one thing they showed is that my cholesterol has gone up a crazy amount in a year. My bad LDL cholesterol went from 115 to 194! I don't eat any meat except for fish, and I don't eat fried foods because they inflame my ulcerative colitis. I haven't changed my diet, so I'm really wondering if it's yet another lovely menopause gift.

Have a video visit with my gynecologist tomorrow to talk about HRT.

[Kathleen]

Hello Souris


As I'm sure you know only animal products can impact  cholesterol so have you increased your consumption of these without realising it? Are you eating more eggs or dairy perhaps?

I also have a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis and I eat a whole food plant based diet. I heard that UC sufferers should avoid eating raw foods such as nuts, salads and fruit. I ignored this advice as I have been symptom free for six years despite eating these foods daily and all my blood work is normal.

Take care and let us know how you get on ai your appointment tomorrow.

K.

[annieb]

This is interesting - over the past few years my cholesterol has increase a lot.  Went up from 5.6 to 6.9 . I'm not over weight and don't eat a lot of meat or fatty foods etc - though I don't get a lot of exercise. Doctor said that exercise is not proven as an issue but  Doctor advised me to increase fibre in my diet . So I did that and 12 months later my cholesterol is 8.4!!!!  Horrified and doctor at a loss to what is causing this so maybe it is a menopausal thing
I have (had!) an appointment with specialist to investigate further but that has been cancelled due to Covid-19.  I'm trying plant steroil tablets at the moment as doctor did suggest that too .Or rather she alluded to Benocol (without naming it) but not been able to get it as local shops do not stock it and getting home delivery at the mo is difficult.  Got the plant steroil tablets online from reputable company so will see how it goes. 
Have also increased my exercise regime too - so fingers crossed next test will be lower.  The frustrating thing is you have to wait 12 months between tests so no idea if anything is helping

[annieb]

Hi Jaypo
True - my doctor said cholesterol wasn't any exact science.  Originally she wasn't too concerned as my weight and general health are pretty good but once it went up to 8.4 she thought a referral was best to be on the safe side
Years ago I had an issue with cholesterol and like you use Benecol spread and it brought cholesterol back down to normal level . However at the time it had only gone up about 0.5 . Now it's really very high . It's the Plant Steroils in Benecol that are supposed to do the trick.  Last time I used it I had a reaction to it - itchy rash so was a bit nervous of it. Also haven't been able to buy it locally either
Haven't had any issues just taking the Plant steroil tablets so hoping when I finally get to the specialist it will have made a difference.  Other than that its Statins which I don't fancy

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Anyone dealing with Ulcerative Colitis has my sympathy as it's a horrible condition to live with.

Just to clarify, I am 63 and was diagnosed with UC at the same time my periods stopped in 2010. I took all the medication needed to get my UC into remission and then had a minor flare in 2013 which didn't require steroids just a low dose anti inflammatory drug that I still take. I have six monthly blood checks and everything is normal. Last year my cholesterol was tested and was 4.7. I suspect my diet has contributed to this and I avoid all animal foods.

I understand that fibre has many benefits for our health so it is worth eating as much as we can. It took a while for my gut bacteria to diversify enough to digest lots of plant matter but  I took things slowly and didn't have any problems.

At no time did any of my doctors mention diet and it was from my own research that I realised how important it could be.

It may be worth eating plant foods only as an experiment and then arranging a private cholesterol test after a month or so to see if helps. From my own experience I would say that the menopause has had no impact on cholesterol at all.

I hope this helps in some way ladies.

Take care all.

K.

[annieb]

Thanks Kathleen - useful suggestion.  I did certainly up my fibre intake but had to tone down the oatbran a little as it had a rather windy side effect 
Hadn't thought to get a private test - will look into that when things get back to normal

[Souris]

My gynecologist said cholesterol can go up as we age, but she hasn't seen someone's spike like that because of menopause. On reflection, I was eating more eggs than usual there for awhile early in the year, trying to up my protein intake in a vegetarian way, and my anxiety level was so high and affecting my appetite that eggs were one of the few things I felt like I could stomach because they're bland. I tailed off on eating so many eggs more than a month ago, though. That's about the only thing I can think of that I've consumed in a different amount than usual lately. We're going to recheck my levels again in 4-6 months, and I'm going to try to get back to eating more whole grains. (I cut down on them a lot when I had a colitis flare in December, because they can irritate my UC when I'm in a flare.)

In other news, I'm starting HRT as a trial to see if it helps with my muscle/bone aches -- Vivelle estrogen patch and progesterone pill.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Souris - there is a lot of cholesterol in eggs so that could be it and it just takes time for blood levels to fall.

I think if you are told that a problem is age related you are disinclined to look for other causes.

When I was first ill with UC I lived on eggs but when I read that the sulpher content can be irritating I stopped eating them. I also drank Complan to try and gain weight but later gave up cows milk as well. It was some learning curve!

Take care and keep us updated.

K.

[Hurdity]

Re cholesterol. It is important that several measures of cholesterol are made, not just Total Ch. There is a whole thread 9 or two) on it in other health discussion. It is the ratio of Total T to HDL (the high desnity good stuff) that is crucial. My Total T has always measured high over the past few years, and I think the LDL might be high too (can't remember without finding my results) but the ratio is fine because HDL is OK. Also my doc said some people naturally run higher than others. My diet is very healthy, my BP is low/normal, I am within normal BMI range (upper end though!) and take plenty of exercise so nothing more I can do. The usually do the Q risk test if you have high Ch which estimates your (?5 year) risk of stroke or heart attack maybe? Not sure about the effect of menopause or HRT and soz no time to look up at the moment. I'll try to find and bump the other thread.

Hurdity x

[Baby]

Yes mine has risen too even though I eat much healthier than before menopause

[Souris]

Something I just came across several places online (so for what that is worth ) is that losing weight can cause a temporary spike in cholesterol because the lost fat stores end up in the bloodstream for a time. That is interesting because I lost 20 pounds from November to May, thanks to not eating much because of a colitis flare and then some major anxiety that kept my stomach in knots. That would fit and makes sense to me. We?ll see what it is when I get retested later in the year.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Souris - I think you could be on to something there.

It will be interesting to see what your next test results show and hopefully all will be well.

Take care.

K.