Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Are Heart Palpitations?Are Heart Palpitations a Symptom of Menopause?Treating Heart PalpitationsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Are Heart Palpitations?
Are Heart Palpitations a Symptom of Menopause?
Treating Heart Palpitations
Frequently Asked Questions
Nearly all females experiencemenopauseunless they have their ovaries removed before puberty.
You may also experienceheart palpitationsduring the different stages of menopause.This article discusses menopause-related heart palpitations, how to manage them, and when to see a healthcare provider.
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Heart palpitations feel like your heart is racing, pounding, skipping beats, flipping, or fluttering. This happens when you feel your heart rate speeding up, slowing down, or beating irregularly. The sensation can be in your neck, chest, or both.
Heart palpitations may occur with a hot flash and can make you feel anxious. This anxiety may also create a “vicious cycle” of stress and worry, which can cause your heart to beat even faster.
You may experience heart palpitations after eating, particularly after eating foods high in carbs or sugar.If these continue after eating certain foods, you may want to work with your healthcare professional to decide what foods to limit.
Seeking Emergency Care
In addition to hormonal changes some of the other menopause-related causes of heart palpitations may include:
Hormone Level Changes
Heart palpitations may occur during menopause due to dropping levels of estrogen. They may also occur during pregnancy or a menstrual period as estrogen levels fluctuate.
The endocrine system, which produces hormones, plays a vital role in the heart. It helps regulate the heart rate and the amount of blood it pumps. An imbalance in the endocrine system can lead to heart palpitations.
Stress and Mood Changes
Changes in mood and the stress they can create are often linked to different types of cardiac arrhythmia. Fluctuating levels in estrogen and progesterone often lead to mood swings that prompt this stress, which can potentially lead to heart palpitations.
Intense Sugar Cravings
Exercise Tolerance
Why Do I Get Heart Palpitations at Night?
Treatments and Management of Heart Palpitations
You can manage your menopause-related heart palpitations through a variety of clinical and lifestyle methods, including:
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT):Since heart palpitations are commonly related to hormone loss, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may help reduce them and have other heart-health benefits, as well.HRT may include the integration of certain hormone supplement medications, such as:
Some people shouldn’t take HRT, including those with some cancers. Your healthcare provider can help give you guidance on whether it’s the right treatment for you.
Lifestyle changes:Changes in diet, fitness, and stress reduction may also help reduce the risk of heart palpitations, including:
Menopause Signs & SymptomsIn addition to heart palpitations, other menopause symptoms include:Changes in periodsHot flashesNight sweatsVaginal drynessDry skinForgetfulnessMood swingsLow sex driveTrouble sleepingUrinary incontinence (leakage)Headaches
Menopause Signs & Symptoms
In addition to heart palpitations, other menopause symptoms include:Changes in periodsHot flashesNight sweatsVaginal drynessDry skinForgetfulnessMood swingsLow sex driveTrouble sleepingUrinary incontinence (leakage)Headaches
In addition to heart palpitations, other menopause symptoms include:
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
Palpitations lasting a few seconds may be harmless. However, it’s best to see your healthcare provider so they can rule out a more serious condition.This is especially true if you have the following symptoms:
Also see your healthcare provider if you have risk factors such as high blood pressure.
When to Seek Emergency CareIf you have any of these symptoms with palpitations, call 911:DizzinessFainting (losing consciousness)Breathing problemsChest or jaw painVery rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
When to Seek Emergency Care
If you have any of these symptoms with palpitations, call 911:DizzinessFainting (losing consciousness)Breathing problemsChest or jaw painVery rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
If you have any of these symptoms with palpitations, call 911:
Summary
Menopause can cause or contribute to heart palpitations through a variety of internal and lifestyle-related causes. As you progress through your menopause journey, you can work with your healthcare provider to help balance your hormone levels to reduce heart palpitations and also find ways to manage and treat them as they arise.
Frequently Asked QuestionsPerimenopause usually begins in your 40s or 50s, with the average age of menopause being 52 years old.Learn MoreWhen Does Menopause Start?Perimenopause, the time leading up to menopause, can take two to eight years. Once you’ve reached menopause (no periods for 12 months in a row), hot flashes can last another four to ten years.Learn MoreWhat Factors Influence How Long Menopause Lasts?Heart palpitations become more concerning when they last longer than a few seconds, are frequent, or worsen.They are an emergency if you have a high heart rate that won’t slow down, chest pain, fainting, dizziness, or shortness of breath.Diagnosing menopause is typically done through a medical history, symptoms, and menstrual cycle patterns. While laboratory tests are not generally necessary to diagnose menopause, your healthcare provider may choose to test hormone levels, especially if your periods stopped at an early age (before 40).It’s helpful to write down information when you are experiencing heart palpitations. Your healthcare provider will most likely ask you when they started, how long they last, what you were doing, and if anything helps them go away.Tests may include:Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG): During anEKG, electrodes are placed on your chest to look at the rhythm and electrical activity.Holter monitor: This is a portable machine you wear for a few days to monitor and record your heart rhythm.Echocardiogram: Anechocardiogramis a non-invasive ultrasound test that provides a view of the heart as it works.Stress test: Astress testlooks at your heart under exertion, either while exercising or receiving a special intravenous (IV) medication.Event monitor: This is a portable monitor you wear for a month. You can hit the record button when feeling heart palpitations or other symptoms.In addition to hormone level changes, heart palpitations can occur due to:Caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, or stimulants (such as diet pills)ArrhythmiasThyroid problemsLow blood pressureStressOverexertion (e.g., over-exercising)MedicationsHeart disease
Perimenopause usually begins in your 40s or 50s, with the average age of menopause being 52 years old.Learn MoreWhen Does Menopause Start?
Perimenopause usually begins in your 40s or 50s, with the average age of menopause being 52 years old.
Learn MoreWhen Does Menopause Start?
Perimenopause, the time leading up to menopause, can take two to eight years. Once you’ve reached menopause (no periods for 12 months in a row), hot flashes can last another four to ten years.Learn MoreWhat Factors Influence How Long Menopause Lasts?
Perimenopause, the time leading up to menopause, can take two to eight years. Once you’ve reached menopause (no periods for 12 months in a row), hot flashes can last another four to ten years.
Learn MoreWhat Factors Influence How Long Menopause Lasts?
Heart palpitations become more concerning when they last longer than a few seconds, are frequent, or worsen.They are an emergency if you have a high heart rate that won’t slow down, chest pain, fainting, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
Diagnosing menopause is typically done through a medical history, symptoms, and menstrual cycle patterns. While laboratory tests are not generally necessary to diagnose menopause, your healthcare provider may choose to test hormone levels, especially if your periods stopped at an early age (before 40).It’s helpful to write down information when you are experiencing heart palpitations. Your healthcare provider will most likely ask you when they started, how long they last, what you were doing, and if anything helps them go away.
Diagnosing menopause is typically done through a medical history, symptoms, and menstrual cycle patterns. While laboratory tests are not generally necessary to diagnose menopause, your healthcare provider may choose to test hormone levels, especially if your periods stopped at an early age (before 40).
It’s helpful to write down information when you are experiencing heart palpitations. Your healthcare provider will most likely ask you when they started, how long they last, what you were doing, and if anything helps them go away.
Tests may include:Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG): During anEKG, electrodes are placed on your chest to look at the rhythm and electrical activity.Holter monitor: This is a portable machine you wear for a few days to monitor and record your heart rhythm.Echocardiogram: Anechocardiogramis a non-invasive ultrasound test that provides a view of the heart as it works.Stress test: Astress testlooks at your heart under exertion, either while exercising or receiving a special intravenous (IV) medication.Event monitor: This is a portable monitor you wear for a month. You can hit the record button when feeling heart palpitations or other symptoms.
Tests may include:
In addition to hormone level changes, heart palpitations can occur due to:Caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, or stimulants (such as diet pills)ArrhythmiasThyroid problemsLow blood pressureStressOverexertion (e.g., over-exercising)MedicationsHeart disease
In addition to hormone level changes, heart palpitations can occur due to:
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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