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Many people want to have a cholesterol test when they reach middle age – thinking that if it’s too high they can change their diet or take medication to reduce their risk of having a heart attack or stroke. But new research suggests that knowing how much of the 'bad' kind of the fatty substance is in our bodies much earlier – in our 30s – is key to cutting the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Mental health experts along with some top poets and rappers gathered in Birmingham, UK recently – to try and break the record for the world’s largest mental health lesson. We hear if they managed it – and how they aim to reduce the stigma of mental illness.

In Ethiopia nurses who normally tend to women whose bodies are harmed by a serious complication of childbirth called fistula are now running counselling sessions to support their mental health. We hear how the women who have already lost their babies are then shunned by their community which leads to anxiety and depression.

(Photo credit: Light Field Studios/Getty Images.)

Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond

Producer: Paula McGrath