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Cardiovascular

LDL cholesterol in women: the value around and after menopause

According to the NVKC, the body uses cholesterol to build tissues and to make certain hormones and bile acids, and partly makes it itself in the liver. LDL cholesterol is the cholesterol in the LDL particles, which carry the cholesterol to the tissues and organs.

According to MedlinePlus, before menopause women have a lower total cholesterol than men of the same age, and after menopause their LDL tends to rise. According to the NVKC, an LDL cholesterol that is too high deposits cholesterol on the walls of the blood vessels. Thuisarts writes that high cholesterol gives no symptoms, so a woman's LDL value around or after menopause can only be known from a blood test.

For LDL cholesterol the NVKC gives a target value below 3.0 mmol/l; Thuisarts calls a value below 3 usually good for healthy people who take no medicines.

The route LDL Cholesterol takes through your body
  1. Liver

    Sends cholesterol out to the rest of your body.

  2. LDL, the package

    Cholesterol is fatty and does not dissolve in blood, so it travels packed. The test counts what is inside these packages.

  3. Your cells

    Take what they need to build their wall and to make hormones such as oestrogen.

  4. What the cells do not take up stays in your blood

  5. Artery wall

    The surplus works its way in, builds up over the years and narrows the artery. That can end in a heart attack or a stroke.

General target below 3 mmol/l

Doctor's Assessment Included

LDL cholesterol is the cholesterol in the LDL particles, which carry cholesterol to the tissues and organs. According to the NVKC, raised concentrations make cholesterol deposit on the vessel wall, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.

  • The NVKC gives a target value for LDL cholesterol below 3.0 mmol/l; Thuisarts calls below 2.6 usually good at a high risk of cardiovascular disease and below 1.8 at a very high risk.
  • For LDL cholesterol, Unilabs uses 0 to 4.5 mmol/l, Diagnostiek voor U a target below 2.6 mmol/L above age 18, Star-SHL 0 to 2.5 mmol/l (source NHG).
  • According to Thuisarts, a high LDL cholesterol causes no symptoms.

When is this value abnormal?

Decision limits per result, in mmol/l
Result Value (mmol/l)
Below target < 3
Above target 3–5
Markedly elevated ≥ 5

There is no single "normal" LDL value: which value is desirable for you depends on your overall risk of cardiovascular disease. The limit of 3.0 mmol/l is the general target value of the NVKC. Once there is a reason to treat, the NHG guideline CVRM uses a lower target: < 2.6 mmol/l, and < 1.8 mmol/l after cardiovascular disease, up to and including age 70. For people at low to moderately raised risk, the guideline sets no target at all, and lifestyle advice is enough. Above 5.0 mmol/l the NHG advises considering familial dyslipidaemia. Discuss your result with your GP.

Source: NVKC Reference population: Dutch adults

Source: NHG Reference population: Dutch adults

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

LDL Cholesterol: what Dutch laboratories use

The upper limit runs from 2.5 mmol/l at Star-shl to 4.5 mmol/l at Unilabs.

Reference ranges by group, in mmol/l
Star-shl · Everyone · a limit, not a range · Source: NHG cardiovascular risk management < 2.5 mmol/l
2.5
Unilabs · Everyone 0.0–4.5 mmol/l
0 4.5
Diagnostiek voor U · Everyone · 19 years and older · a limit, not a range · target value < 2.6 mmol/L
2.6
Diagnostiek voor U · Everyone · a limit, not a range · high-risk groups < 1.8 mmol/L
1.8
0 4.95 mmol/l

Source: Star-shl

Source: Unilabs

Source: Diagnostiek voor U

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

LDL Cholesterol: what this test measures

An LDL cholesterol test measures the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood in mmol/l, and Diagnostiek voor U expresses the target value for people older than 18 as below 2.6 mmol/L.

LDL Cholesterol: why this value matters

LDL cholesterol matters because, according to the NVKC, raised concentrations cause cholesterol to be deposited on the walls of the blood vessels, which can lead to cardiovascular disease with a heart attack or stroke as a possible result.

LDL Cholesterol: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Which test
Lipids · €73,- · Basic Health Checkup · €104,- · Extended Health Checkup · €259,-
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

LDL Cholesterol: how to prepare

Nothing special is needed for these tests.

  1. No need to fast

    Good to know

    Eating beforehand makes little difference to these values. You can have breakfast.

  • Water is always fine. Drink as usual beforehand, it makes the draw easier.
  • Take your usual medication, unless your own doctor told you otherwise.

LDL Cholesterol: when is testing worthwhile?

According to the NVKC, the LDL test also measures the effect of cholesterol-lowering medicines, and MedlinePlus, a US source, advises women between 55 and 65 to have a cholesterol test every 1 to 2 years.

LDL Cholesterol: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

The sources read describe a low LDL cholesterol only as a result of treatment, and the target value the NVKC names is below 3.0 mmol/l.

High Levels

A high LDL cholesterol in a woman after menopause fits what MedlinePlus describes: after menopause women's LDL tends to rise. According to MedlinePlus, saturated fat in the diet, being overweight and heredity can also raise LDL.

LDL Cholesterol: causes of a low or high value

What lowers the value

  • Cholesterol-lowering medicines, such as statins

    If lifestyle changes alone do not lower LDL enough, cholesterol-lowering medicines, including statins, may be needed.

  • Losing weight when overweight

    If someone is overweight, losing weight can help lower the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood.

What raises the value

  • Saturated fat and cholesterol in food

    Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat make your LDL level rise.

  • Overweight

    Being overweight tends to raise the LDL cholesterol level and to lower the HDL cholesterol level.

  • Inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolaemia)

    High cholesterol can run in families; familial hypercholesterolaemia is an inherited form of high blood cholesterol.

  • Certain medicines, such as steroids

    Certain medicines, including steroids, some blood pressure medicines and HIV medicines, can raise LDL.

  • Chronic kidney disease, diabetes or HIV

    Diseases such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes and HIV can cause a higher LDL.

LDL Cholesterol: lifestyle and this value

Discuss a raised LDL after menopause with your GP; according to Thuisarts, healthy living helps lower cholesterol and medicines are sometimes needed too.

LDL Cholesterol: frequently asked questions

Does LDL cholesterol rise after menopause?

According to MedlinePlus, women's LDL cholesterol tends to rise after menopause, while before menopause women have a lower total cholesterol than men of the same age.

LDL Cholesterol: sources

  1. Nederlandse Vereniging voor Klinische Chemie en Laboratoriumgeneeskunde. Alles over testen. Over AFP: "De referentiewaarden kunnen verschillen tussen laboratoria, afhankelijk van de methode. Ga daarom uitsluitend af op de referentiewaarden van het laboratorium dat het onderzoek heeft uitgevoerd en interpreteer nooit AFP-uitslagen van verschillende laboratoria door elkaar." Geraadpleegd 14 juli 2026. (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl
  2. Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap. NHG-Standaard Cardiovasculair risicomanagement. Praktische handleiding, 2024. Geraadpleegd 14 juli 2026. (retrieved 2026) richtlijnen.nhg.org
  3. Star-shl, Labbepalingen (referentiewaarden per bepaling), star-shl.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) star-shl.nl
  4. Unilabs, Bepalingenklapper (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenklapper.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenklapper.nl
  5. Diagnostiek voor U, eLabgids (Referentiewaarden DvU), diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu
  6. MedlinePlus, LDL: The "Bad" Cholesterol, medlineplus.gov, geraadpleegd 2026-10-17 (retrieved 2026) medlineplus.gov

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LDL Cholesterol

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