Who should have a cholesterol test

Who should have a cholesterol test, how often
Before answering the question of who should be having a cholesterol test, and how often, perhaps we should start with the question of why cholesterol testing should even come up to begin with.
- Cholesterol testing is the only way for you to know how high your levels of good cholesterol are, and, reversely, how high your levels of bad cholesterol are.
- Knowing the answer to these questions can save you (1) peace of mind and (2), in some cases, your life.

Good cholesterol is known as HDL. Bad cholesterol is known as LDL. Your cholesterol test will resolve which kind of cholesterol you're high in and which kind you're low in. If you're high in HDL and low in LDL, good for you. You're on the right track. If, on the other hand, you're high in LDL and low in HDL, you'll need to make some serious changes.
HDL (referred to from now on as high blood cholesterol) is a all-too-common cause of death. High blood cholesterol clogs your arteries and veins. Once your arteries and veins are clogged, your blood has a harder and harder time moving through them. Poor blood flow means poor circulation, leading to aches and pains and stiffness. Poor flood flow means headaches, sleeplessness, tiredness, depression. Poor flood flow, in a worst-case scenario, means blood clots, and blood clots meanstroke, paralysis, heart attack, death.
A simple cholesterol test can tell you if you need to worry, and, if yes, what you need to do about it.
A cholesterol test is simple and fairly painless. Generally you will have to go without eating for at least a few meals before you take it; sometimes you will be asked to go without eating the night before. But a little hunger is worth knowing exactly what's going on in your body.
Most doctors recommend that you have a cholesterol test at least once every five years. Your chances of having high blood cholesterol increase with age, but it's okay to have your first cholesterol test between the ages of 30 and 35. In fact, it's a good idea. A cholesterol test, after all, is a preventative test - that is, a test that is taken to figure out what your chances are of developing a disease, rather than to see if you already have it. In other words, you want to take a preventative test as soon as possible, so that you can know if you're safe or not, what risks you're running, and what you can do to become safe and avoid risks. Don't wait for slower breathing, a rapid heartbeat climbing stairs, or pressure in your arms and legs to take a cholesterol test. Take it before alarming symptoms occur.
Some other helpful tips when and how often to have a cholesterol test include:
- If you've recently been ill or suffered high stress (such as occurs following a serious accident) it is best to wait until you're healthy to have a cholesterol test. Most doctors recommend that you wait at least six weeks before undergoing the test. It's best to be completely healthy when you undergo the test, so that your cholesterol will be at about its usual level.
- Cholesterol climbs to unusually high levels in women who are pregnant. When it comes to taking cholesterol tests, therefore, the same general rule applies: wait at least six weeks until after you have had your baby to have your cholesterol test performed.
Remember that knowing when to have a blood cholesterol test, and how often to have one, can save your life.