Cholesterol, Triglycerides and IVF Outcomes: What Two Large and New Studies Suggest
If you have been through fertility testing, you can probably recite your AMH, your FSH and your antral follicle count from memory. Far fewer people could say what their cholesterol or triglycerides were, or whether anyone looked. A fair question follows. Do blood lipids matter for IVF outcomes?
Two studies published in 2026 suggest they might. Both found that abnormal lipid levels (dyslipidemia) were associated with modestly less favourable results.
A large IVF study links lipids with live birth
The first study, by Wang and colleagues in Reproductive BioMedicine Online, looked back at the records of more than 25,000 women having their first IVF cycle at one clinic. About one in three had abnormal lipid levels.
Women with abnormal lipids were less likely to have a live birth from that cycle, counting every embryo transfer that resulted from the egg retrieval. Roughly 41 in 100 had a baby, compared with 48 in 100 of the women whose lipids were in the usual range. Women in the first group with dyslipidemia also tended to be older and to carry more weight, and both of those affect IVF results on their own. Even so, a gap remained after the researchers took those differences into account.
A few details stand out. Higher total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL (often called bad cholesterol) each correlated with fewer live births, while HDL (good cholesterol) showed no such pattern. The drop became steeper once total cholesterol passed a level that is still usually considered normal. And the link was most noticeable in a group many would not expect, women under 38 at a normal weight, who also had more pregnancy losses. In women over 38, and in women at a higher weight, lipids did not appear to make a difference.
A closer look at triglycerides and egg numbers
The second study, by Wan and colleagues in Frontiers in Endocrinology, focused on women with a low egg supply (diminished ovarian reserve). The researchers first used large genetic datasets to ask whether triglycerides might directly influence fertility hormones. They then looked at the records of nearly 9,000 women with a low egg supply having their first IVF cycle at one clinic in China.
The genetic work suggested that higher triglycerides push follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) lower, but demonstrate no effect on AMH. In the clinic records, women with higher triglycerides tended to have slightly fewer eggs retrieved, even when age and ovarian reserve were taken into account. The difference was small, and AMH remained by far the best guide to how many eggs were collected.
However, the women who went on to a fresh embryo transfer, triglycerides made no measurable difference to pregnancy, miscarriage or live birth. Age and AMH mattered far more.
Combining results from the two studies together
At first glance the studies disagree. Because one found fewer live births with abnormal lipids, and the other found no link between triglycerides and live birth at all. They were asking different questions, though. The first followed a broad group of IVF patients and counted every embryo transfer from one cycle and they evaluated more lipid markers. The second looked only at women with a low egg supply, and only at fresh transfers, in a much smaller group.
Where research is still lacking
Both studies looked back at existing records from a single clinic. That kind of research can show that two things occur together (correlation), but not that one causes the other (causation). Lipid levels tend to travel with diet, physical activity, blood sugar control, gut microbiome, genetics and other parts of overall health that are hard to measure fully, so something else may explain part of the pattern. In the second study, triglycerides were measured only once and the differences were modest.
Why lipids still deserve attention
If the fertility evidence is uncertain, why pay attention at all? Because the case for looking after your lipids never depended on fertility. Abnormal lipids are a well established risk factor for heart disease, and one that can be changed. Looking after heart and metabolic health (cardiometabolic health) is worthwhile for anyone, through pregnancy and in the decades that follow it.
Seen that way, the fertility findings are an additional reason rather than the main one. A lipid panel is a routine and widely available blood test. If the results are abnormal, addressing them is reasonable for long term health, and these studies raise the possibility that it may matter for fertility as well.
How lipids are best managed while trying to conceive is an individual decision, since not every approach suits the preconception period. That is a conversation for you and your naturopathic doctor.
Takeaway for those on the fertility treatment journey
Lipids alone are unlikely to be the deciding factor in fertility treatment. Age, ovarian reserve, hormones and other reproductive disorders still carry far more weight. But these studies are a useful reminder that reproductive health sits within overall metabolic health. If you are curious about where your own lipids fit into the picture, a fertility focused clinician can help you look at them alongside everything else and decide what, if anything, is worth acting on.
References
Wang Z, et al. Dyslipidaemia is negatively associated with fertility, pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in women undergoing IVF treatment. Reproductive BioMedicine Online. 2026.
Wan X, Yu M, Wu X, Huang Z, Tan J. Triglycerides and ovarian response in diminished ovarian reserve: a two-sample mendelian randomization and clinical mediation study. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2026;17:1914533.
Disclaimer
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Individual circumstances vary, and decisions about your care should be made with your own healthcare team. If you are trying to conceive or are currently in treatment, please speak with your physician or a licensed naturopathic doctor before making changes.
About Dr. Harsimranjeet Singh Bhatia, ND
Dr. H. Singh is an award winning Fertility Naturopath based in Ottawa with over ten years of experience focusing exclusively on reproductive health. He has been named Naturopath of the Year by Faces Magazine Ottawa four years in a row and received the 2026 Emerging Leader award from the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors for his patient advocacy and impact within the community.
He works with individuals and couples across Ontario and Quebec, supporting patients trying to conceive naturally or alongside treatments such as IUI and IVF.
Care focuses on evidence informed strategies to support egg quality, sperm health, hormonal balance, implantation, and early pregnancy. Each plan is built around your own history and test results, and is designed to work alongside the care you receive from your fertility clinic.
If you would like dive deeper to understand where naturopathic care could fit into your fertility journey, you are invited to book an initial consultation.
