Your doctor may order a lipid profile to check cholesterol and triglycerides and help assess your cardiovascular risk. The test uses a blood sample and can be repeated to see how the numbers change over time. Before your appointment, check whether your clinician has asked for a fasting sample and whether any other tests on the same request have their own preparation instructions.

Each value on a lipid profile tells a different part of the story. LDL and HDL refer to different ways cholesterol is carried in the blood, while triglycerides are another type of blood fat. A result that is flagged on the report is a starting point for a discussion. Ask your doctor what the individual values mean for you and when it makes sense to check them again. If the test is for follow-up, it helps to bring the complete previous panel for a direct comparison.