When you were in your 20s and 30s, you probably ignored random aches or other minor physical annoyances, and they usually went away. But in your 40s and beyond those symptoms can come back — often with a different cause, and calling for more serious attention.Symptom: Heart Palpitations
What it may have meant in your youth: You were in love
What it may signal now: Fluctuating hormonesYou expect hot flashes and "senior moments" in the years leading up to menopause, but many women are surprised to find they also have palpitations — their hearts pound or beat irregularly. In one 2007 study of more than 1,000 women in four countries, for example, 12 percent said they'd had this sensation. Yet experts aren't sure why it happens. "It's amazing how little research there is," says menopause researcher Susan D. Reed, M.D., professor of ob-gyn and epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. Shifting hormones — the estrogen-progesterone ratio changes at menopause — likely play some role.
If this happens to you: Such palpitations are usually harmless, but even if yours are mild or occur only once in a while, you can't be sure they're nothing until a doctor checks you out, Dr. Reed cautions. Your physician can test your heart rhythm with an in-office EKG, and may suggest you wear a portable monitor for up to three days. In addition, you'll need to rule out other conditions, such as an overactive thyroid, that can also cause palpitations. If you're a serious coffee or cola drinker (young or old), a switch to decaf might also solve your fluttering-heart problems. And of course, regardless of your age, if your irregular heartbeat is accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint, or any other sign of a heart attack, call 911 right away.
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