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Heart palpitations pms


Health Problems Caused By Your Period

Cramping. Bloating. Pimples the size of small planets. Insatiable cravings for carbs. Most of us can list at least a dozen different ways our periods impact our lives every month. But our fluctuating hormones can also affect us in ways we don't normally associate with our menstrual cycle. Keep reading for the health-related issues you (probably) never knew were linked to your monthly visitor.

1

Heart Palpitations

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A rapid, skipping, or fluttering heartbeat can occur around the time of your period. Heart palpitations "are common with any hormone fluctuation," such as those associated with the thyroid or perimenopause, says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health at the NYU Medical Center. How do you know whether your abnormal heartbeat is a sign that something more serious is amiss? "If it's associated with shortness of breath, feeling like you're going to faint, fainting, or chest pains, then visit a doctor," says Dr. Goldberg. She also suggests you make an appointment to get checked out if the palpitations persist once your PMS has passed.

2

Migraines

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"There's been, for decades, an awareness of a relationship between hormones – and in particular, estrogen – and migraine frequency or migraine severity," says Vernon Williams, M.D., founding director of the Kerlan-Jobe Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. Dr. Williams points to new research showing that rapid drops in estrogen "may be part of the reason that some women are more prone to these menstrual migraines. If you believe hormones are to blame for your chronic head pain, Dr. Williams suggests that you get better sleep, drink more water, limit alcohol, and watch your stress levels as these are all migraine triggers. Additionally, in some cases, medication, hormone replacement therapy, or specific contraceptives may help.

3

Anxiety

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Do you notice an increase in anxiety right before Aunt Flow comes to town? If so, your period may be to blame, says Prudence Hall, M.D., medical director at The Hall Center in Santa Monica, CA. Dr. Hall explains that, at ovulation, estrogen levels are between 300 and 500, but the closer you get to your period, the more levels fall, resulting in increased feelings of anxiety, due largely to the effect of lower estrogen levels on the brain. "Loss of confidence is quite common with PMS," says Dr. Hall, making the couple of weeks before your period "not a great time to make business decisions or make a new pitch to the boss." To help reduce these effects, Dr. Hall suggests taking 5-HTP and GABA supplements.

4

Anemia

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The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute defines anemia as "a condition in which your blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells," and part of what makes this particular health issue so sneaky, according to Arielle Levitan, M. D., co-founder of Vous Vitamin and author of The Vitamin Solution, is that it may not show up on routine lab work. "It must be profound to show up as anemia," says Dr. Levitan. The issue is rather common: "Most women end up iron deficient during their fertile years and long after that, often into their 80s, because they lose blood each month," says Dr. Levitan. To help combat this potential health problem, Dr. Levitan advises that you take "a personalized multivitamin that contains the proper amounts of iron in the proper combination with other nutrients (such as vitamin C to help with absorption) to help replenish these losses." Don't overdo it though, she says, as taking too much can result in constipation, abdominal pain, or cardiac effects.

5

Diarrhea or Constipation

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Hormone fluctuations can also create issues with your intestinal tract. "When you are on your period, your body releases hormone-like substances called prostaglandins," says Draion M. Burch, M.D., national speaker and sexual health advisor for Astroglide. "Prostaglandins make smooth muscle contract, which is why you feel cramps. The uterus is made out of smooth muscle. Guess what else is made out of smooth muscle? The bowel." Depending on how much prostaglandin is released, you either wind up with diarrhea (too much prostaglandin) or constipation (too little). Other factors that can make bathroom matters worse include eating unhealthy foods and being anxious or stressed. That's why Dr. Burch suggests you "watch the diet more rigorously when on your period. Eat more fruits and veggies, and drink extra water. Also, take ibuprofen, which prevents prostaglandins from being released."

6

Dental Problems

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"During a woman's menstrual cycle, her progesterone rises and we see a change in the way her body reacts to plaque," says Kristy L. Gretzula, DDS, with Hawley Lane Dental in Connecticut. As a result, your gums may be more swollen, red, and tender, and bleed very easily. "The inflammation may be the worst in the few days before your period and then decrease once your period begins," says Dr. Gretzula, which is also when you are more likely to have canker sores and swollen salivary glands as these types of mouth-related issues are also more prevalent as hormones rise and fall. You may be able to bypass these by maintaining proper oral hygiene, says Dr. Gretzula. "I recommend daily flossing and the use of an electric toothbrush to my patients to help them keep their mouth as clean as possible."

Palpitations: what is the mechanism, and when should we treat them?

Review

. 1997 Mar-Apr;42(2):94-100.

G M Rosano  1 , M Rillo, F Leonardo, C Pappone, S L Chierchia

Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 Department of Cardiology, Istituto H. San Raffaele, Milan-Rome, Italy.
  • PMID: 9160219

Review

G M Rosano et al. Int J Fertil Womens Med. 1997 Mar-Apr.

. 1997 Mar-Apr;42(2):94-100.

Authors

G M Rosano  1 , M Rillo, F Leonardo, C Pappone, S L Chierchia

Affiliation

  • 1 Department of Cardiology, Istituto H. San Raffaele, Milan-Rome, Italy.
  • PMID: 9160219

Abstract

Palpitation is an unpleasant awareness of an abnormal beating of the heart. This symptom may be brought on by a variety of cardiac disorders, such as cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, and coronary artery disease, but the most common cause is primary cardiac arrhythmias. Several noncardiac disorders may also cause palpitations, and in this case are an effect of the disease upon cardiac rhythm. Palpitations occur frequently in women at all ages, especially during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, and during the perimenopausal period. Palpitations occurring at young age and associated with fast heart rate are frequently due to Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or other forms of re-entrant tachycardia, and may require catheter ablation. A correlation between ovarian hormones and occurrence of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia has recently been reported in female patients with normal menstrual cycles; palpitations are frequently reported in cases of mitral valve prolapse, whereas episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia reported during pregnancy may be due to mechanical stimuli or to a suggested arrhythmogenic effect of pregnancy. Palpitations during the perimenopausal period are usually benign and seem to be related to the increased sympathetic activity caused by the menopause. Although the vast majority of palpitations are benign and need not be treated, an electrophysiological study is indicated for those patients who have a documented episode of palpitation associated with syncope or with a pulse that is inappropriately rapid during symptoms. The treatment of palpitations due to cardiac arrhythmias is dependent upon the kind of arrhythmia detected during either invasive or noninvasive electrophysiological studies.

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Premenstrual syndrome

Almost every woman knows firsthand what “premenstrual syndrome” is, because more than half of the beautiful half of humanity have experienced and experienced PMS in one way or another.

Let's deal with the terminology, what is "premenstrual syndrome" in scientific terms? PMS is a name for a whole complex of disorders of both the psycho-emotional and physical state of a woman that occurs one to two weeks before menstruation. As a rule, they pass immediately after the end of bleeding. According to statistics, this syndrome in its various courses manifests itself in seventy percent of women, while in ten percent it occurs in severe form, sometimes with complete loss of ability to work during the days of its course.

PMS symptoms

PMS symptoms affect every side of the female body and that is why they can be divided into several categories or forms:

  1. Neuropsychic form. Characterized by mood swings, hypersensitivity, irritability, desire to cry. In young girls, it is usually accompanied by outbursts of aggression, while at a more mature age, symptoms similar to depression predominate in a woman. In addition to changes in the emotional state, on the part of the body there are increased sensitivity to both smells and sounds, manifestations of flatulence, numbness of the extremities.
  2. Edema form. Before the onset of menstruation, there may be fluid retention in the body, which causes swelling, as well as sensitivity of the mammary glands, bloating, slight sweating and irritability.
  3. Cephalgic form, in which there is headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, sensitivity to external stimuli, as well as depression and pain in the heart.
  4. Crisis form, which is based on sympathoadrenal crises. It is exacerbated due to anxiety, stress and overwork, and is characterized by chills, tachycardia, increased blood pressure, fear of death, and increased urination.

Treatment of PMS

Premenstrual syndrome in most cases is an integral part of a woman's body and does not require the intervention of specialists, but in some cases, with its severe course, a doctor's consultation and subsequent treatment is necessary.

You should see a specialist if:

  • Pain before menstruation becomes unbearable;
  • Significantly increased blood pressure;
  • There is a severe form of depression or emotional instability;
  • Tremor or numbness of extremities occurs;
  • Increased heart rate.

The first thing to do when symptoms worsen is to see a general practitioner who will give you a referral to the right specialist based on your complaints. You may need to consult doctors such as:

  • Endocrinologist;
  • Mammologist;
  • Neurologist;
  • Psychotherapist;
  • Cardiologist;
  • Ophthalmologist.

Specialists will prescribe you the necessary treatment and prescribe medications that can relieve premenstrual syndrome. These may include drugs such as painkillers for complaints of severe pain, antidepressants for an unstable emotional state, medicines to improve heart function, hormonal drugs, diuretics to remove excess fluid, sedatives, and physiotherapy.

In addition, there are non-drug ways to relieve the unpleasant symptoms of PMS:

  • proper, regular and healthy nutrition;
  • consumption of the required amount of liquid;
  • sound sleep;
  • therapeutic gymnastics and yoga;
  • aromatherapy;
  • regular outdoor walks;
  • folk remedies such as cornflower tincture, dandelion root decoction, lavender mint tea, or calendula tincture.

Never despair and put off going to a specialist if the situation requires it. Premenstrual syndrome is treatable, but unfortunately not preventable. But you can alleviate its symptoms by avoiding stress, eating right, and taking care of your health.

Premenstrual Syndrome - Diseases - Medical Center Health Clinic

How PMS manifests itself

Due to the fact that the symptoms characteristic of premenstrual syndrome can appear at any time during the second half of the menstrual cycle, it is not always possible to immediately make a diagnosis. Symptoms of PMS in women appear cyclically, i.e. during the same period of the menstrual cycle. And it is important to note that the way PMS manifests disrupts the daily life of a woman.


Symptoms of PMS

PMS in women manifests itself in a very diverse way and can be expressed both in physical and psychological discomfort. Women often experience irritability, anxiety, tension, depression, increased appetite, fluid retention edema, breast tenderness, bloating, and headaches. Most women experience several symptoms at the same time, but only one of them may appear.


Period calendar

Knowing in what specific period and how the signs of PMS appear, a woman can most effectively cope with them. Thus, you can not only prepare for the onset of PMS, but also take the necessary measures that will not allow the manifestations of premenstrual syndrome to ruin your life.


How to track PMS symptoms

  1. Mark the first day of the cycle on the calendar (the date of the start of menstruation). From this day begins the "follicular phase" of the cycle, which lasts 14 days until ovulation, after which the "luteal phase" begins, in which signs of premenstrual syndrome usually appear.

  2. Record all symptoms on a calendar with the dates of their onset and disappearance. In the case of a large number of symptoms, you can mark them with different colors.

  3. Mark the end date of the menstrual cycle, which coincides with the beginning of a new period, which will allow you to track how long PMS lasts.

How to rate calendar entries

It is necessary to review your records and trace the connection of the noted symptoms with PMS. If the manifestations of PMS are most pronounced in the "luteal phase" (from the 14th day of the cycle onwards) and are practically absent in the "follicular phase", then most likely we are talking about PMS.

Mobile applications

Today, many mobile applications are available that help calculate the duration of the menstrual cycle and track the symptoms of PMS in women. Here is a list of such apps for Android and iOS.

Monitor your symptoms and control your PMS

Every day, many women experience PMS symptoms and perceive them as a natural part of life that is related to their menstrual cycle. But in this case, you need to figure out whether these symptoms are a common occurrence that you should not pay attention to, or more serious causal relationships are involved that affect not only the well-being of women, but also their daily lives.

What is PMS

Premenstrual syndrome (premenstrual tension syndrome) is a complex cyclical complex of symptoms that occurs in women on premenstrual days (2-10 days before the onset of menstruation) and is characterized by vegetative-vascular, psycho-emotional and metabolic-endocrine disorders that negatively affect the woman's habitual lifestyle.

Signs and manifestations of PMS

At the moment, modern medicine classifies the symptoms of PMS according to the following criteria:

  • Neuropsychic form - characterized by irritability, anxiety, aggressiveness, depression, tearfulness and weakness.

  • Edema form - manifested by swelling of the face, legs, fingers, as well as soreness and engorgement of the mammary glands. Most women report increased sweating along with sensitivity to smells.

  • Cephalgic form - accompanied by throbbing pain, which is often supplemented by nausea and vomiting. Blood pressure with this form of PMS remains unchanged. Also in this case, a third of women have increased sweating, pain in the heart, numbness of the hands, and depression.

  • Crisis form - begins with an increase in blood pressure, to which a feeling of pressure behind the sternum, rapid heartbeat and fear of death are gradually added. In most cases, a woman experiences these symptoms in the evening or at night. This type of PMS can be triggered by stress or infectious diseases, and its attacks can end with profuse urination.

  • Atypical form.

Also, the manifestations of premenstrual syndrome are usually classified according to stages of varying severity:

  • Mild (or compensated) stage - the symptoms are mild from the very beginning, do not worsen over time and disappear with the onset of menstruation.

  • Subcompensated stage - the symptoms are more pronounced, can have a significant impact on the woman's ability to work and increase over time.

  • Decompensated stage - lasts a few more days after the onset of menstruation.

Do the symptoms of PMS described above look as harmless as many women used to think, faced with them every month? Should I leave everything as it is? Or you should still think about the fact that almost imperceptible symptoms can become more serious over time - a mild form of irritability can develop into depression, etc. The choice is up to each…

Causes of PMS

There are a lot of theories that explain the causes of premenstrual syndrome in women, but the one that speaks of hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle has been proven and most common among them. Anyway, scientists decided to go further and began to investigate other possible causes of PMS:

  • Monthly cyclic fluctuations in the content of certain substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain, including endorphins that affect mood.

  • Hereditary factor - for example, it has been proven that identical twins are much more likely to suffer from PMS together, unlike fraternal ones. Therefore, this factor may be of great importance as one of the possible causes of PMS, i.e. there may be a genetic predisposition to it.

  • Malnutrition - many PMS symptoms such as fluid retention, mood swings, fatigue, breast tenderness, etc. may be associated with a deficiency in the body of vitamin B6. And magnesium deficiency leads to headaches, dizziness and palpitations. This is also explained by the increased craving for chocolate during this period, since it contains a very large amount of magnesium.

How to correctly calculate the duration of your cycle

The first day of the cycle is considered the day of the onset of spotting, and it must be recorded in the calendar. From this date, an account is kept of all subsequent calculations that a woman needs to track the presence or absence of symptoms of PMS, etc.

If a woman knows when and how her PMS symptoms appear, she can manage them most effectively. You can prepare for this period and take all the necessary measures that will not allow the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome to control your life. Usually the menstrual cycle lasts 28 plus or minus 7 days, i.e. its duration can vary from 21 to 35 days. A woman should ensure that the cycle is regular, which means that if in one month it was 23 days, then in another its duration should be within the same limits. Otherwise, this will be a violation of the cycle and should be a serious reason for a mandatory visit to the doctor.

The duration of the menstrual cycle is an individual feature of the woman's body and usually this indicator ranges from 21-35 days. The duration of PMS is also individual.

Frequently Asked Questions about PMS

Quite often, during the premenstrual period, women experience nausea during PMS and vomiting, but such manifestations are actually not the norm for the female body, even at this time.

Learn more