Summary:The effects of adverse maternal, fetal, and intrapartum factors on cord serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) were studied retrospectively on a sample of 428 neonates comprising four subgroups: (1) 54 with isolated cord serum hypercholesterolaemia (HC); (2) eight with cord serum HC and hypertriglyceridaemia (HTg); (3) 70 with isolated cord HTg; and (4) 296 with normal cord serum TC and TG levels.Low birth weight babies (<2500 g) had higher levels of cord TG (P<0·001) and TC (P<0·1) than normal weight babies, as did pre‐term (less than 37 weeks gestation) babies, P<0·05 for TG, P<0·001 for TC, and postmature (over 41 weeks gestation) babies, P<0·01 for TG. The regression coefficient between gestational age and TC was‐0·20 (P<0·001), and for TG‐0·13 (P<0·02).Babies with low one and five‐minute apgar scores had higher means for TG (P<0·001) with the coefficients of regression being 0·34 and 0·30, but no differences were present for TC. Those who had had signs of intrapartum distress, such as tachycardia and bradycardia, also had higher means for TG (P<0·01), but their TC was lower than in the co