What Causes Heart Palpitations Prior To The Menstrual Period?

Posted on Sat, 18 Feb 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 18 Feb 2017 Answered on

Sat, 8 Apr 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : 33y/o Female. Smoker: 15+years. I have heart palpitations that seem to occur near my menstrual cycle and worsen from +1 day before until after starting. (I did seek medical help with the first occurrences which resulted in cardiac monitoring/ holtier for 24 hours, nothing ever came of in 2013) Within the past month, I have awoken to the feeling of my chest vibrating, followed by a strong jolt in chest area to which rhythm seems to return to normal, Since this has been happening my "fluttering" / "flip-flopping" has increased. I also have developed a very tender throat (no redness) and my esophagus feels larger, also noted to Right side of there is a significant enlargement of something. Node? Also, note that I have a horrible cough in the mornings which lurks with me throughout the day and into the night.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (53 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Upper respiratory tract infection?

Detailed Answer:
Hello, your symptoms sound like upper respiratory tract infection. If the enlarged node appeared when the throat became sore and the esophagus was felt to be larger then this is normal with such infections.

Regarding this uncomfortable feeling in your chest, a negative Holter monitoring 4 years ago does not exclude current disorders so I would suggest visiting a cardiologist again for a new assessment particularly if the symptoms are not exactly the same.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng