I'm 52 years old. I've been to the heart doctor several times and I have gotten the all clear from the heart specialist. However, every now and then I get this frightening feeling in the centre of my chest. It feels as though my heart just stopped or skipped a beat. I have to gasp for air and a feeling of dread comes over me and then it is gone. I'm very heathly, my blood pressure is 110/70 and my heart BPM is 66. I exercise and I eat heathly. Why does this still happen to me? It occurs about once every few weeks. Can I safely say that it's the menopause or should I go back to the doctor? I do have PVC's which I'm told are fine, but stress and caffeine can make them worse, both of which I do have.

Palpitations are very common in the menopause and most women will experience them at some point.

I do know from experience just how horrible they can be - mine came at night just as I tried to get to sleep!

The menopause tends to stress the body's stress system (the adrenals) and this makes the adrenals extra jumpy and responsive to any kind of stress, physical or emotional, and this in turn then triggers the palpitations.

It is importation to support the adrenals so taking a magnesium supplement and a good female multi-vitamin should help.

Daily relaxation is vital and can help symptoms really quickly. Low blood sugar and dehydration could be a factor as well so make sure that you eat little and often - have healthy snacks, not sugary ones, more protein/carb based such as plain yogurt, nuts and seeds, oatcake, and cheese etc.

Make sure that you are drinking plenty of plain water during the day.

Try to avoid caffeine if possible, if you really need one have in the morning only, as this can be one of the main contributory factors!

Acupuncture can often help with this so worth looking into as well.

However, if these continue or get worse it is important to get them checked out by the doctor as well.

Eileen Durward