Just recently I have been having “Heart Palpitations“.  I of course mention this to hubby to accuses me of being a Hypochondriac.  So I ignore it for a few weeks.  At the same time I stop having my mutl-vitamin thinking that perhaps it is being overly ambitious.

The palpitations are still there – even when I am at rest or laying in bed at night. So I look it up on the web and of course it says it could be due to menopause.  I then mention this to hubby who responds with a comment “you don’t even know if you are going through menopause – has a doctor actually done any tests“.  (I felt like punching him in the face after this comment so I ignored it)

So I looked up the symptoms of menopause on the web and this is the list – I have indicated if I have the relevant symptom or not:

• Hot Flushes – YES
• Night Sweats – YES
• Irregular Periods – NO – (What’s a period?)
• Loss of Libido – YES
• Vaginal Dryness – YES
• Mood Swings – YES
• Fatigue – YES
• Hair Loss – YES
• Sleep Disorders – YES
• Difficulty Concentrating – YES
• Memory Lapses – YES
• Dizziness – NO
• Weight Gain – YES
• Incontinence – YES
• Bloating – YES
• Allergies – YES (Prior to menopause as well)
• Brittle Nails – YES
• Changes in Odor – NO IDEA (Generally don’t smell myself)
• Irregular Heartbeat – YES
• Depression – YES (very occasionally)
• Anxiety – YES
• Irritability – YES
• Panic Disorder – NO
• Breast Pain – NO
• Headaches – YES
• Joint Pain – YES
• Burning Tongue – NO
• Electric Shocks – YES (probably due to very dry air at the moment)
• Digestive Problems – YES
• Muscle Tension – NO
• Itchy Skin – YES
• Tingling Extremities – YES (often get pins and needles)
• Osteoporosis – NO

So I have checked 26 of the 34 Symptoms – There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I am menopausal – with or without a doctor verifying this……..

To appease myself, I duly went to see the Doc last week about my heart palpitations.  He did an ECG  – resting and stressed.  All is normal and fine with my heart – good rhythm / pulse / blood pressure etc etc.  He says it is caused by menopause and I must not stress about it all.  He also goes on to recommend I start taking HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy).  This was then a debate as you are either pro HRT or against HRT – I have discussed this in the past with my Gynecologist.  I explained that I was neither pro or against HRT but would act on the advice given, providing my Gynecologist agreed with him.

So I have stopped taking my little soy extract pill each day and am now on HRT.  Probably a bit too early to say if it is working and will give it a few weeks.

Image from http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/h/hormone_replacement_therapy_gifts.asp