Heart stumbling in the menopause

Definition

In the medical sense, heart stumbling is understood to be so-called extrasystoles, which are part of the cardiac dysrhythmia. An extrasystole corresponds to an additional beat that begins outside the normal rhythm of the heart. This beat sets in a little earlier than the actual following heartbeat.

Since the heart needs a short time after each beat to return to its original state and to be re-excited from there, it is usually not ready for the next heartbeat and this one fails. This interruption is called “compensatory pause” and is often perceived as a heart stumble. The next beats follow again in a normal rhythm. During the menopause, there can be an increased incidence of heart stumbling.

Causes

During menopause, hormone-related changes can be the cause of heart stumbling, as well as other causes that occur independently of hormonal changes. They can originate in the ventricle (ventricular) or in certain cells of the atrium (supraventricular). In most cases, however, the occurrence has no disease value, but is a normal phenomenon.

During menopause, there is a natural decrease in the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone (). As these hormones have an influence on many organ systems of the body, many changes occur. These include a change in psychological mood, often associated with increased sensitivity, mood swings and depressive moods.

Hot flushes, sleep disorders and night sweats can also occur. These changes are often associated with stress, restlessness and sometimes anxious feelings. These factors influence the autonomic nervous system, which can adapt the heart rhythm to the situation and tries to accelerate it when under stress.

Thus stress, restlessness and anxiety favour the occurrence of heart stumbles. Especially in combination with nicotine, alcohol or caffeine they are favored. Another change brought about by the drop in hormones is the loss of vascular protection.

On the one hand, estrogen regulates the distribution of fat in the body, and on the other hand it causes the vessels to dilate. After the hormone level drops, the fat in the female body is redistributed, causing the fat level in the blood to rise. Both the narrowing of the vessels and the increased blood fat levels lead to increased calcification of the vessels.

Also at the heart. As a result, the blood supply to the heart is reduced and cardiac dysrhythmia and cardiac stumbling can occur more frequently. Furthermore, there are other causes that can occur independently of the menopause, but coincidentally simultaneously.

These are, for example, disease or inflammation of the heart or heart valves, a heart attack, thyroid disease or a disturbance of the electrolyte balance, e.g. a potassium deficiency. Some drugs can also cause heart stumbling. Heart stumbling through the thyroid gland?

In the vast majority of cases, however, the occurrence does not have any disease value, but is a normal phenomenon. During menopause there is a natural decrease in the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone (). As these hormones have an influence on many organ systems of the body, many changes occur.

These include a change in psychological mood, often associated with increased sensitivity, mood swings and depressive moods. Hot flushes, sleep disorders and night sweats can also occur. These changes are often associated with stress, restlessness and sometimes anxious feelings.

These factors influence the autonomic nervous system, which can adapt the heart rhythm to the situation and tries to accelerate it when under stress. Thus stress, restlessness and anxiety favour the occurrence of heart stumbles. Especially in combination with nicotine, alcohol or caffeine they are favored.

Another change brought about by the drop in hormones is the loss of vascular protection. On the one hand, estrogen regulates the distribution of fat in the body, and on the other hand it causes the vessels to dilate. After the hormone level drops, the fat in the female body is redistributed, causing the fat level in the blood to rise.

Both the narrowing of the vessels and the increased blood fat levels lead to increased calcification of the vessels. Also at the heart. As a result, the blood supply to the heart is reduced and cardiac dysrhythmia and cardiac stumbling can occur more frequently.

Furthermore, there are other causes that can occur independently of the menopause, but coincidentally simultaneously.These are, for example, disease or inflammation of the heart or heart valves, a heart attack, thyroid disease or a disturbance of the electrolyte balance, e.g. a potassium deficiency. Some drugs can also cause heart stumbling. Heart stumbling through the thyroid gland?