# Perimenopausal chest pains



## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Anybody get chest pains (sort of a soreness) that you think could be associated with perimenopause? I can't figure out what's going on with me. Seems to be more of a GI/hormonal thing with me rather than heart (but it's about time for another appointment with the internist about the heart anyway). I also seem to have a slight bit of gassiness and heartburn with it, and I tend to get this distress at the end of my cycle. Also, a while back we wondered if I'd pulled a little muscle in my chest or something while using an exercise machine. Thing is, though, I stopped doing that type of exercising a while back. (It did, however, seem to tone down a bit at that point.)Could it be fluctuating hormones bothering preexisting conditions?


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## Jeanne D (Nov 14, 2001)

Hi HipJan,If I am understanding you correctly, I have had the same thing.Its not a sharp heart pain, but a soreness in your chest, along with the fact that it is sore to the touch. I also have had, and still do have palpitations.I was checked out by a cardiologist when this started, and although he didn't mention anything about perimenopause, I know something like this can be a symptom.Is that what you mean.. is it sore to the touch , or do you actually have pain in your heart ?If it's sore to the touch, most likely it's a muscle thing , since we can't touch our hearts.I don't know if that helped or not, but you are doing the wise thing by checking it out.Most likely it won't be anything to worry about.Please let us know how your appt. goes.Jeanne


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Jeanne, it is actually on the breastbone slightly towards the right (so not "in heart"). But a while back, my internist said the pain didn't need to be on the left side, where the heart is, to be heart related. I still don't think it's the heart, though I am prone to occasional palpitations, like you, and other minor heart-related problems. Yes, not sharp shooting pains but dull twinges of pain and sometimes heartburn; seems like previously (a couple months ago), it could have been slightly sore to the touch. Whenever that pain acts up (again, typically at end of cycle!), pain underneath my right shoulderblade is also triggered - some "weak" area I've had for 12 years. (Today, the shoulder blade is the part hurting the most.) My theory is that I managed to stress part of the chest area too much at one time (I guess it never healed up properly?). It acts up primarily when my hormones are fluctuating the most (as other things, for me, seem to act up then). Also, I seem to have the worst GI dysfunction at this same time - gassiness, indigestion, mild IBS maybe, mild heartburn - and wonder if those problems further aggravate my chest muscle, which is near the esophagus. Also, my shoulder blade problem is triggered too.Jeanne, if you are still reading this








.... So, what did the cardiologist finally tell you? Did your pain eventually go away?


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## Jeanne D (Nov 14, 2001)

HipJan,He told me that everything was fine, and he really didn't give me an explanation for the soreness, since there didn't seem to be anything wrong.I had, had an EKG.. which was normal, a 24 hour holter moniter which showed one V-Tach ( ventricular tachycardia.. racing heart}, which freaked me out, but he said it was only one and not abnormal to have. He also said that if everyone was hooked up to a 24 hour monitor, every person would have at least one irregular heartbeat, that we all do, but we aren't usually aware of it.I also had an echocardiogram which showed everything to be ok, so I chalked it up to perimenopause .The pain did go away, but it has come back on occassion, just as the palpitations do.. I just don't worry about it.A friend of mine in her 50's had a lot of chest pain, numbness in her left arm and shortness of breath. She had all the warning signs of a heart attack , but she underwent every single heart test known to man, only to find nothing wrong. She decided it was due to the fact that she was going through menopause, so she bought some yam cream at the health food store, and she claims she's been using it for the past few years and has not had any more problems with her heart, since.I guess the point I am trying to make in all of this is that hormones definately can cause heart related symptoms without being life threatening.I hope that helps in some way.Jeanne


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Thanks, Jeanne, I very much appreciate your explanations and other information.


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