Removal of Ovaries and Early Menopause

In pre-menopausal women, most of the estrogen in the body is made by the ovaries. Because estrogen makes hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers grow, reducing the amount of estrogen in the body or blocking its action can help shrink hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers and reduce the risk of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers coming back (recurring).

In some cases, the ovaries may be surgically removed to treat hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer or as a risk-reduction measure for women at very high risk of breast cancer. This is called prophylactic or protective ovary removal, or prophylactic oophorectomy. Removing the ovaries is one way to permanently stop the ovaries from producing estrogen. Medicines also can be used to temporarily stop the ovaries from making estrogen (called medical shutdown). Ovarian shutdown with medication or surgical removal is only for pre-menopausal women.

Medical shutdown of the ovaries

Medicines can be used to temporarily stop the ovaries from making estrogen. Two of the most common ovarian shutdown medicines are:

• Zoladex (chemical name: goserelin)
• Lupron (chemical name: leuprolide)

Zoladex and Lupron are both luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists. These medicines work by telling the brain to stop the ovaries from making estrogen. The medicines are given as injections once a month for several months or every few months. Once you stop taking the medicine, the ovaries begin functioning again. The time it takes for the ovaries to recover can vary from woman to woman.

Women who want to bear children after breast cancer treatment may prefer medical shutdown of the ovaries over surgical ovary removal.

Deciding to have your ovaries shut down with medicine or surgically removed requires a lot of careful thought and discussion with your doctor. Tell your doctor about any fertility concerns you may have. Together you can weigh the benefits and the risks against each other and decide on the best option for you and your unique situation.

In an oophorectomy, a surgeon removes both your ovaries — the almond-shaped organs on each side of your uterus. Your ovaries contain eggs and secrete the hormones that control your reproductive cycle. Removing your ovaries greatly reduces the amount of the hormones estrogen and progesterone circulating in your body. This can halt or slow breast cancers that need these hormones to grow.

Women with BRCA gene mutations usually also may have their fallopian tubes removed at the same time (salpingo-oophorectomy), since they have an increased risk of fallopian tube cancer as well.

Who can consider prophylactic oophorectomy?

Prophylactic oophorectomy is usually reserved for women with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer due to an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene — two genes linked to breast cancer, ovarian cancer and other cancers. High-risk women age 35 and older who have completed childbearing are the best candidates for this surgery.

Prophylactic oophorectomy may also be recommended if you have a strong family history of breast cancer and ovarian cancer but no known genetic alteration. It might also be recommended if you have a strong likelihood of carrying the gene mutation based on your family history but choose not to proceed with genetic testing.

How much can oophorectomy reduce the risk of cancer?

If you have a BRCA mutation, a prophylactic oophorectomy can reduce your:

• Breast cancer risk by up to 50 percent in premenopausal women. As an example, if a woman with a high risk of breast cancer had a 60 percent chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her lifetime, oophorectomy could reduce her risk to 30 percent. Put another way, for every 100 women just like her, 60 could be expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer without oophorectomy. And 30 would be expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer after oophorectomy.
• Ovarian cancer risk by 80 to 90 percent. As an example, if a woman with a high risk of ovarian cancer had a 30 percent chance of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer at some point in her lifetime, oophorectomy could reduce her risk to 6 percent, assuming an 80 percent risk reduction. Put another way, for every 100 women just like her, 30 could be expected to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer without oophorectomy. And six would be expected to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer after oophorectomy.

In studies, the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer varies. And your individual risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer varies depending on many factors, including your family history, your lifestyle choices and other strategies youre using to reduce your risk of cancer. For some women, oophorectomy may offer great reduction in risk. For other women, the risks of surgery and the potential side effects may not be worth the reduction in cancer risk.

What are the risks of oophorectomy?

Oophorectomy is a generally safe procedure that carries a small risk of complications, including infection, intestinal blockage and injury to internal organs. The risk of complications depends on how the procedure is performed.

But more concerning are the complications that can come from losing the hormones supplied by your ovaries. In women who have yet to undergo menopause, oophorectomy causes early menopause. Early menopause carries many risks, including:

• Bone thinning (osteoporosis). Removing your ovaries reduces the amount of bone-building estrogen your body produces. This may increase your risk of a broken bone.
• Discomforts of menopause. Hot flashes, vaginal dryness, sexual problems, sleep disturbance and sometimes cognitive changes are problems for some women during menopause. Removing your ovaries doesnt mean youll immediately have these problems, but it does mean that any menopausal symptoms you develop will occur earlier and are more likely to reduce your quality of life than if they occurred during natural menopause.
• Increased risk of heart disease. Your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease may increase if you have your ovaries removed.
• Lingering risk of cancer. Prophylactic oophorectomy doesnt completely eliminate your risk of breast cancer or ovarian cancer. A type of cancer that looks and acts identical to ovarian cancer can develop after the ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed. The risk of this type of cancer, called primary peritoneal cancer, is low — much lower than the lifetime risk of ovarian cancer if the ovaries remain intact.

Prophylactic oophorectomy might relieve much of your anxiety about developing either disease, but this type of surgery can also take an emotional toll on you. Even if you didnt plan on having children, you might mourn the loss of your fertility. Or you may, like some, have a strong sense of femininity tied to your fertility and reproductive cycle.

Do women have to take post-menopausal hormone therapy after oophorectomy?

Use of low-dose hormone therapy after oophorectomy is controversial. While studies have shown that use of hormone therapy after menopause may increase a womans risk of breast cancer, other studies suggest early menopause can cause its own serious risks.

Women who undergo prophylactic oophorectomy and dont use hormone therapy up to age 45 have a higher rate of premature death, cancer, heart disease and neurological diseases. Its not clear that the higher rates of these diseases are due to low estrogen levels caused by oophorectomy, but doctors typically recommend that younger women who have surgically induced menopause consider taking low-dose hormone therapy for a short time and stopping by age 45 or 50.

Prophylactic oophorectomy may also increase your risk of memory loss and dementia. But studies show this risk may be reduced with the use of hormone therapy after surgery.

It isnt entirely clear what effect hormone therapy might have on your cancer risk. Several studies have found that short-term hormone therapy doesnt increase the risk of breast cancer in women with BRCA mutations who have undergone prophylactic oophorectomy. Ask your doctor about your particular situation. If you decide to take low-dose estrogen, plan to discontinue this treatment after age 50.

You may opt to have your uterus removed during your oophorectomy surgery, so that you can take a type of hormone therapy (estrogen only hormone therapy) that may be safer for women with a high risk of breast cancer. Discuss the benefits and risks of hysterectomy with your surgeon.

Differences Between Natural and Surgical Menopause

Natural menopause begins when the ovaries cease to produce an egg every four weeks, menstruation ceases and the woman is no longer able to bear children. Postmenopausal begins after menstruation has ceased for 12 months. For intact women, this process usually happens on average between the ages of 35 and 51. The ovaries reduce their production of estrogen and progesterone and physical changes and side effects occur that coincide with natural aging. In contrast, surgical menopause causes an immediate plunge into postmenopause after the ovaries are removed. Note that if youve had your ovaries removed after menopause, you wont be in surgical menopause and you wont feel any hormonal differences in your body. If youve had your ovaries removed before youve reached natural menopause, youll wake up from your surgery in postmenopause.

Once the ovaries are removed, your body immediately stops producing estrogen and progesterone. Your follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) will skyrocket in an attempt to make contact with ovaries that no longer exist. Unlike women who go through menopause naturally, women wake up after a bilateral oophorectomy in immediate estrogen withdrawal. Its that sudden: One day you have a normal menstrual cycle, the next day you have none whatsoever. This can cause you to become, understandably, more depressed, and youll also feel the physical symptoms of estrogen loss far more intensely than a woman in natural menopause.

Symptoms can include:

• Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
• Bouts of rapid heart beat
• Irritability
• Mood swings, sudden tears
• Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
• Loss of libido
• Vaginal dryness
• Crashing fatigue
• Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
• Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom
• Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
• Memory lapses
• Itchy, crawly skin
• Headache change: increase or decrease
• Depression
• Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head
• Tingling in the extremities
• Osteoporosis
• Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier

Fortunately, you most likely wont experience all of these symptoms, and the ones you do have will vary in degree and duration. The great news is that nature offers you alternatives to the damaging effects of convential horomone replacement therapy. Soy isoflavones are phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant chemicals) in soy products. Some isoflavones, such as genistein and daidzein, exert mild estrogenic effects and are thus called phytoestrogens. Structurally similiar to estrogen, soy isoflavones have the capacity to bind to empty estrogen receptors and relieve hormonally based symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes. It is this ability to decrease hormone reception that also seems to be the mechanism by which phytoestrogens such as soy isoflavones prevent hormone-dependent cancers.

In addition to the physiological changes that occur during hysterectomy, there can also be emotional and psychosocial changes after the surgery. The natural, gradual transition from peri- into post-menopause normally gives the woman an opportunity to gradually adjust to her biological and emotional changes and to ease into the second part of her life. Women undergoing surgical menopause dont have the luxury of easing into it over time. Rather, the woman is faced with both the challenge and opportunity to establish a new hormonal balance and make the mental adjustments necessary to not only deal with the shock of surgery, but also to establish a relationship with her new and different body/self.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/hormonal/ovary_removal.jsp

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer/WO00095

http://www.womenlivingnaturally.com/articlepage.php?id=97

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070829162824.htm

Menopause and High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure generally increases after menopause. Some doctors think this increase suggests that the hormonal changes of menopause may play a role in high blood pressure. Others think an increase in body mass index (BMI) in menopausal women may play a greater role than hormonal changes.

Menopause-related hormonal changes can lead to weight gain and make your blood pressure more reactive to salt in your diet — which, in turn, can lead to higher blood pressure. For some women, hormone therapy (HT) for menopause also may contribute to increases in blood pressure.

General causes for high blood pressure

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is caused by several factors including: age, heredity, race, sodium intake, obesity, alcohol, and inactivity.

* Age. As people age, there is an increased likelihood of high blood pressure.

* Heredity. High blood pressure tends to run in families.

* Race. African Americans tend to develop high blood pressure compared to Caucasians.

* Sodium intake.Some people have higher sensitivity to sodium. Consuming foods that are high in sodium cause an increase in blood pressure.

* Obesity. Blood pressure increases as body weight increases.

* Alcohol.Consuming more than one to two glasses of alcoholic beverages a day can increase blood pressure.

* Inactivity.Lack of exercise or leading a sedentary lifestyle can lead to obesity and an increase in blood pressure.              

Hypertension as a key risk factor in menopause

As blood is pumped from your heart through your body, the blood puts force or pressure against the blood vessel (or artery) walls. Your blood pressure is a reading, or measure, of this pressure. When that reading goes above a certain point, it is called high blood pressure, another name for hypertension. When you have high blood pressure, it is partly because your blood vessels become narrower, forcing your heart to pump harder to move blood through your body. These changes cause the blood to press on the vessels walls with greater force.

High blood pressure is called the "silent killer" because it usually has no signs or symptoms. It is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard. If not controlled over time, high blood pressure can affect not only your heart and blood vessels but also other organs, making them function not as well as they should. The effects of uncontrolled high blood pressure include:

* Stroke. High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke. High blood pressure can cause a break in a weakened blood vessel in the brain. This can cause bleeding in the brain, which is a stroke. If a blood clot blocks a narrowed blood vessel, it can also cause another type of stroke.

* Impaired vision. Blood vessels in the eye can in time burst or bleed due to high blood pressure. Vision can become blurred or impaired and can result in blindness.

* Kidney damage. The kidneys filter wastes from our bodies. Over time, high blood pressure can narrow and thicken the blood vessels of the kidneys. Thus the kidneys cannot do their job well, and wastes build up in the blood. When kidney failure occurs, medical treatment (dialysis) or a kidney transplant is needed.

* Heart attack. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack. If the heart cannot get enough oxygen because of narrowed or hardened arteries, chest pain (angina) can occur. If the flow of blood is blocked, a heart attack results.

* Congestive heart failure. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for congestive heart failure, a serious condition where the heart is not able to pump enough blood to meet the bodys needs.

So, hypertension is very most important risk factor that affects women in her postmenopausal years. About 30 to 50% of women develop hypertension (RR >140/90 mmHg) before the age of 60 and the onset of hypertension can cause a variety of symptoms that are often attributed to menopause.

Womens systolic pressure -- the top number in the blood pressure reading and the one thats more closely associated with heart disease risk and stroke in people over age 50 -- increases by about 5 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) with menopause. A study done between 2001 and 2003 among people over age 60 showed that women had a higher systolic blood pressure than did men in every state in America. According to the report, women tended to think they didnt have high blood pressure when, in fact, they did.

For healthy adults, blood pressure less than 120/80 mm Hg is desirable. Untreated high blood pressure can cause the heart to work too hard. Mild to moderate hypertension may cause complaints such as non-specific chest pain, sleep disturbances, headaches, palpitations, hot flushes, anxiety, depression, tiredness, etc.

Women with a family history of hypertension and women with a history of hypertension in pregnancy are at increased risk to develop hypertension in this age period. Hypertension often clusters with other risk factors such as overweight, elevated insulin resistance, diabetes, and lipid abnormalities. In the Women’s Health Study it was shown in almost 40,000 healthy women (≥45 years) that an elevated blood pressure increases CV risk and that hypertension is a strong predictor for the development of type II diabetes. Even in premenopausal women, hypertension has been shown to be a potent risk factor for the presence of coronary artery disease. Despite the high prevalence of hypertension in middle-aged women, less than half of the patients receive adequate treatment, especially in the older age group when the risk of hypertension-related morbidity and mortality is highest.

Checking blood pressure

Do you know that there are people having high blood pressure only when they visit their health care providers office? This condition is called white coat hypertension. It is quite easy and convenient to test your blood pressure at the convenience of your home. There are over-the-counter blood pressure measuring devices you can purchase in pharmacies and discount chain stores that you can use at home. These include the blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope and electronic monitors, such as digital readout monitors.

Here are some tips for what you can do to ensure as accurate a blood pressure reading as possible:

* Dont drink coffee or smoke for 30 minutes before the blood pressure check.

* Before your blood pressure is checked, sit still for five minutes with your back supported and your feet flat on the ground. Try to rest your arm on a table at the level of your heart.

* Go to the bathroom prior to the reading. A full bladder can change your blood pressure reading.

* Get two readings, taken at least two minutes apart, and average the results.

Controlling blood pressure

To control your blood pressure both before and after menopause, focus on a healthy lifestyle:

1. Get regular physical exercise. Exercise helps lower blood pressure because it makes the heart stronger. With greater strength, the heart can pump more blood with less effort. Being physically active for 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week can lower blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm Hg.

2. Follow a healthy eating plan. A healthy diet consists mostly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Limit consumption of red meat, processed foods and sweets. Several studies have shown that those who follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, a healthy diet similar to whats described here, may reduce blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg.

3. Reduce dietary sodium. Salt (sodium) increases blood pressure in most people with high blood pressure and in about 25 percent of people with normal blood pressure. The recommended daily sodium intake is 1,500 to 2,400 milligrams; lower is even better.

4. Limit alcohol intake. In small amounts, alcohol can help prevent heart attacks and coronary artery disease. But that protective effect is lost when women regularly drink more than one drink a day. Above that amount, alcohol can raise blood pressure by several points and can interfere with blood pressure medications.

5. Achieve a healthy weight. Being thin isnt essential. But for those who are overweight, losing as little as 5 percent to 10 percent of body weight can lower blood pressure by several points. With less body mass to nourish, the heart doesnt have to pump as hard and the pressure on the arteries decreases.

6.  If you still smoke, stop!

 Latest research

While there is a definite causal relationship between ageing and tendency for higher blood pressure, the two new research studies have confirmed that there are no reasons to believe that menopause itself causes high blood pressure, and the hormonal changes impact on the high pressure development risk yet to be validated.

A study led by Dr Casiglia of University of Padova, Italy analyzed over 9,000 women aged 18 to 70 years. The researchers found that a higher risk of hypertension in menopausal women was due to their higher age not due to the fact that they were menopausal. The researchers concluded, “Conclusion: The cardiovascular effects usually attributed to menopause seem to be a mere consequence of the older age of menopausal women.”

A study led by Dr Cifkova from Prague, Czech Republic analyzed 900 women aged 45-54 years as they went through menopause. Researchers found there was no relationship between blood pressure and menopausal status - being premenopausal, going through menopause, or being postmenopausal. Menopausal status had no effect on the risk of high blood pressure. However, they found the main factor to increase blood pressure was an increase in BMI (Body Mass Index) or body fatness.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2644382/

http://www.sophisticatededge.com/can-menopause-cause-high-blood-pressure1.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause-and-high-blood-pressure/AN01463

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/117474.php

http://www.power-surge.com/educate/highbloodpressure.htm

http://www.my-health-software.com/view/items/menopausal-women.html

Heart Palpitations Irregular Heartbeats are Common at Menopause

Are you a woman age 35 years or older who sometimes experiences skipped heart beats or a racing heart even when you’re not exerting yourself? Do you sometimes awaken with a racing heart? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you are likely experiencing common symptoms of perimenopause or menopause.

Normal heart rate

The heart’s rhythm is coordinated by its own electrical system. With each heartbeat, the electrical impulse begins at the sinus (or sinoatrial, SA) node, also called the heart’s natural pacemaker. The SA node is a cluster of specialized cells, located in the right atrium. The SA node produces the electrical impulses that set the rate and rhythm of your heartbeat. The impulse spreads through the walls of the right and left atria, causing them to contract, forcing blood into the ventricles.

The impulse then reaches the atrioventricular (AV) node, which acts as an electrical bridge allowing impulses to travel from the atria to the ventricles. There is a short delay before the impulse travels on to the ventricles.

From the AV node, the impulse travels through a pathway of fibers called the HIS-Purkinje network. This network sends the impulse into the ventricles and causes them to contract. The contraction forces blood out of the heart to the lungs and body. The SA node fires another impulse and the cycle begins again. The heartbeat is triggered by electrical impulses that travel down a special pathway through your heart muscle.

What are heart palpitations?

Palpitations are irregular heartbeats that can include skipped beats, extra beats (as many as 8 to 16 beats a minute), and a racing heart (as many as 200 extra beats a minute). Many people suggest that having palpitations makes them "aware of their heart beating."

Women and men can have heart palpitations. In healthy people, they are most common in perimenopausal and menopausal women as a result of fluctuating hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Some perimenopausal and menopausal women suggest their palpitations occur during or after a hot flash.

"Palpitations usually last only a few seconds to a minute or two," says Summit Medical Group cardiologist Andrew D. Beamer, MD, FACC. "If you have palpitations that are frequent and last for long periods, you should see your cardiologist immediately. Even if your palpitations are associated with perimenopause or menopause," says Dr. Beamer, "there are treatments such as beta blockers that can help reduce their frequency and intensity."

Symptoms of irregular heart rhythms

An arrhythmia may be "silent" and not cause any symptoms. A doctor can detect an irregular heartbeat during an examination by taking your pulse, listening to your heart or by performing diagnostic tests.

If symptoms occur, they may include:
* Palpitations -- a feeling of skipped heart beats, fluttering, "flip-flops" or feeling that the heart is "running away"
* Pounding in the chest
* Dizziness or feeling light-headed
* Shortness of breath
* Chest discomfort
* Weakness or fatigue (feeling very tired)

Symptoms of palpitations represent 15-25 percent of all the symptoms reported by female heart patients. 

They are associated with:

* Premenstrual syndrome

* Pregnancy

* Perimenopausal period

When palpitations are present, the doctor begins his or her evaluation by looking for underlying heart disease. The importance of palpitations and the need for treatment is determined by the presence of underlying heart disease, the type of irregular heartbeats that are occurring and other symptoms that are present.

Common causes

Common causes of heart palpitations include:

* Alcohol

* Caffeine

* Pseudoephedrine, a stimulant in decongestants

* Dehydration, causing an electrolyte embalance

* Phentermine, ephedrine, and caffeine in diet pills

* Emotional stress, which releases adrenaline

* Hormonal changes

* Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), especially when first beginning treatment

* Monosodium glutamate in Chinese food, processed foods, canned vegetables, canned soups, and processed meats

* Nicotine

In most cases, palpitations associated with menopause are not an indication of heart problems. Palpitations often go away after several months, but even they can recur from time to time.

Although heart palpitations can be disconcerting, remember that most often they are a normal part of aging. Try to remain calm when you have them and focus on your breathing. If you have heart palpitations when you are active, stop what you are doing and sit down or lie down and breathe deeply and slowly through your nose and out your mouth. Your normal heart rate should return within a few minutes.

Why does menopause cause irregular heartbeats?

During the menopause, the amount of the hormone estrogen gradually declines. However, this decline is not steady and often there are erratic fluctuations during the perimenopause and menopause.

 Estrogen has an effect on the dilation of the coronary arteries. When low, the arteries contract, and when high, they dilate. This can lead to changes in blood pressure and heart rhythm.

Estrogen also has an effect on the autonomic nervous system which regulates the unconscious functions of the body such as heart rate and breathing. Changes in oestrogen levels mean that the nervous system fluctuates between being highly stimulated to being stimulated very little, having a direct impact on heartbeat regularity.

How are arrhythmias diagnosed?

If you have symptoms of an arrhythmia, you should make an appointment with a cardiologist. You may want to choose an electrophysiologist, a cardiologist who has received additional specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders.

After evaluating your medical history and discussing your symptoms, a physical exam will be performed. The cardiologist also may perform a variety of diagnostic tests to help confirm the presence of an arrhythmia and determine its causes.

If your heart rate is very fast,

if you are feeling dizzy or faint,

or if you feel tightness or pain in the chest or neck,

you should get immediate emergency treatment.

Underlying Dangers of an Irregular Heartbeat

Experiencing an irregular heartbeat during menopause is not something that is dangerous in itself. Usually, irregularities in your heartbeat will last between a few seconds and several minutes, but they will correct themselves. Irregular heartbeats as a result of menopause will usually come to an end once you reach postmenopause.

However, though irregular heartbeats can often pose no danger, they can be a sign of an underlying condition, such as:

* Overactive thyroid. This will also be accompanied by other symptoms such as mood swings, diarrhea, and hyperactivity.

* Anemia. Hair loss, itchy skin, and headaches will usually accompany this condition.

* Dehydration.Dehydration is associated with tiredness, a dry mouth, and concentrated urine.

If you are concerned that your irregular heartbeat is a symptom of another condition, then you should consult a medical practitioner.

Emotional Impact of an Irregular Heartbeat

An irregular heartbeat does not just have an effect upon your physical health; it can also present dangers to your emotional and mental health as well. Suffering from an irregular heartbeat can heighten stress levels, since they may make you worry about what it is and what is causing it. Stress itself heightens your risk of suffering from an irregular heartbeat, so it can become a vicious circle. Heightened stress, anxiety, and panic can lead to panic attacks, which cause heart palpitations as well as nausea and fear, symptoms that have been known to be confused for heart attacks.

What Can You Do about an Irregular Heartbeat?

Despite an irregular heartbeat not being dangerous the majority of the time, it is worth avoiding lifestyle habits that could trigger them. Try to cut down on caffeine and alcohol, as well as rich, spicy foods. Smoking or the use of recreational drugs can easily exacerbate the problem, as well as precipitating more dangerous conditions. Maintaining a regular exercise regime will work toward keeping your heartbeat steady and will improve your overall health at the same time.

The most immediate way to deal with rapid or irregular heartbeat when it occurs is to try to relax. Take deep breaths, practice yoga or meditation, or employ other relaxation techniques.

Experiencing an irregular heartbeat can be frightening and stressful. Fortunately, irregular heartbeats during menopause are usually caused by hormonal imbalances and present no danger. However, if you are experiencing irregular heartbeats regularly, if they are accompanied by dizziness or shortness of breath, or if you are concerned about your symptoms, then it is best to consult with a physician.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/article/Heart-Palpitations-in-Perimenopause-and-Menopause/

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/electric/women-abnormal-heart-beats.aspx

http://www.avogel.co.uk/health/menopause/symptoms/irregular-heart-beat/

http://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/irregular-heartbeat/articles/dangers-of-an-irregular-heartbeat-during-menopause.htm

http://www.menopausehealthmatters.com/menopause-heart-palpitations.html