Menopause and heart palpitations

Hi mamp - yes I definitely had heart flutters/palpitations - missed beats ... during perimenopause all the time.
I have them occasionally now ... and I remember getting them in my early twenties ... so hormonally related no doubt.
Isn't a nice feeling though ... and no rhyme or reason. I just try and take nice deep breaths or do some exercise. I find it can make you feel a little anxious - back in the day I used to feel nauseous with it, but that was probably a sense of panic.
Now it comes and goes, annoying ... hope it's nothing more but have had many tests over the years and other than high cholesterol my heart seems fine.

Yes, I did in the early stages, but I have had them for a very long time. they were originally diagnosed in the early 1990's as benign arrhythmia. They become worse when I am under stress. Mine went away long before menopause. I did have a high blood pressure reading pop up at a well women's check about 8 years ago, maybe a few years before menopause, and was put through the whole work up with a cardiologist. He eventually decided that I had benign arrhythmia and white coat syndrome (ie my BP goes up whenever someone in a white coat comes into the room). Hmm, I wonder if that is anything to do with my distressing final visit to the gynaecologist who wanted my uterus and some sewing practice?

L

When your heart "skips a beat" (Louise, it sounds like your condition may be a bit different), do a body-mind check and see if it followed an emotional thought. Yes, the heart is more subject to these little skips at menopause as all the hormones are adjusting, but in my opinion they are often connected to emotions as well. If you start paying attention to it, it's amazing how tightly coupled the heart and emotions are. When we're strengthened by our natural estrogen, the heart is more protected from our emotions, but when that veil is lifted, the tight and immediate connection becomes very obvious. Another reason to become non-reactive to the ups and downs of life! ...and make sure your heart is getting lots of green veges.

For me it's not emotional or body/mind - often I would be at complete rest, or in the middle of exercise, or working, playing or waking or whenever.

It just happens and it's odd because it does take you by surprise because you can be happily going about your business ...

The palpitations can cause you to feel concerned though so I would say the emotional thought may follow the palpitation when you first experience them.

Panic attacks, anxiety, stress, emotional thoughts etc have their own impact on the heart and chest discomfort, etc., and are fairly easily pinpointed to the mind/body process.

Mamp I am not sure if yours are like mine, totally out of the blue and no rhyme or reason - but I wanted to let you know I had them too.

I went through the worst part of menopause during a very stressful period of my life. I was lucky not to experience many of the difficult symptoms that have been described here by Christine and others. But I slept poorly, had hot flashes and borderline anxiety-attack experiences, which I attributed to a combination of meno. and the worries that dominated my life at that time. It was a bad combination, yet I still feel lucky that the physical menopause transition itself could have been so much worse.....I consider myself one of the lucky ones. - Surviving

I get them every time- right around the time my hair all starts falling out, and they go away around the time that stops...I attributed it to thyroid issues, but maybe it's more closely linked to estrogen?

Dear Mamp

Don't forget young men get palpitations as well. Peri-menopause is still pretty young. What, are you fortyish? Don't be fooled by our youthful society. Being old is only new. It's been around for a while and forty is not old, believe me.

Check your heart out. It could be nothing. And I am the first to admit I prefer to manage my health on my own, but there are some things our much maligned doctors are good at. We are talking heart here. You have nothing to lose but further anxiety. You don't smoke or drink so this makes it less easy to explain it all away as simply a matter of changing your lifestyle, and living healthier.

You suggest some women experience this during menopause. Like Surviving, I personally did not experience them either during peri-menopause or menopause. So it's certainly not automatic.

As for a mind-body connection or a mind-gut one, this is a hard nut to crack. What do you do with it? We are in the pre-dawn of these disciplines.

Anxiety caused palpitations are just as likely to occur when you are relaxed than out in the thick of it, so I don't see this as a marker.

As for coping, well yeah do a bit of relaxation and meditation, but check it out first. You need to know what it is you are dealing with which is why you have started this thread in the first place.

Cheers Fab

I only noticed mine while I was lying in bed, totally relaxed, albeit maybe suffering from stress as well. The rest of the time I may have had them, and just not recognised them as palpitations because I was so busy doing stuff.