Hi Lilli22 I UNDERSTAND. If you have not had your heart tested with an echocardiogram, I would consider that on my high priority list. This way you will rule out any heart disease. (Remember: Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Now that I have scared the daylights out of you, take a deep breath and keep reading. I KNOW what it feels like to suddenly out of the blue start having irregular heartbeats. April 11 2007 my world, as I knew it, came crashing down, when early one morning I stood up from my desk, climbed the stairs and when I reached the top I could not breath, my heart was pounding in my ears,my thigh muscles were quivering and I was near fainting. I am a retired nurse. I calmly found my blood pressure cuff and noted that both B/P and Heart Rate was rapidly accelerating. I called the rescue squad. Long story short, I was sent to a cardiologist where they proceeded to do a 24 hour holter monitor test. Diagnosis: non-specific tachycardia (rapid heart rate) that is "not to be concerned with." August 2007, I found myself back in the ER with the exact same symptons. This time my cardiologist ran the Echo. My heart is in fine working condition. While laying there having the test, I had a nice conversation with the technician who is about 47 and a very healthy runner. She told me she too has non-specific tachycardia and her heart will race up to 177 beats when she is sitting still and then will immediately drop back down to her normal resting heart rate. She works in the cardiology department and there is no reason for her racing heart, other than the theory that has yet to be "proven" by what appears to be an ignorant medical research society. That theory? Estrogen flucuation. If you go to reputable websites you can read this theory.. irregular heartbeats are connected to estrogen flucuation..there is just no proof. As far as your herbal usage I think it is wonderful that you are open to other means of treatment, however I have found that sometimes the very herbs we take can have a negative effect. By taking so many one would never know which one could have that effect. I do know from speaking with other ladies that Don Quai has negative side effects for some. I also know from personal experience that taking yam extract natural progesterone can have a negative side effect too. What I am saying is: I believe if I wasn't sure an herb was working I would want to know which ones were and how would you go about finding that out? By eliminating one at a time..just a suggestion. But first I would have that echo..just another suggestion and then if your tests are fine..perhaps you might need your thyroid medication adjusted. My mother had thyroid disease and she had to have her medication adjusted many times over her lifetime. That little "butterfly" at your throat can make ones heart flip flop unmercifully.It is such a powerful mechanism that is so readily overlooked by the medical profession. Now for what I do..sometimes I am like my name "serenely frantic" meaning I may look calm on the outside but on the inside I am going batty with the racing heart...but now that I know it is "the change" and I know that I am not going to die...I exercise..eat right...dropped my coffee to a small cup in the a.m., stay away from simple carbs, colas, negative people, anything containing stimulants, (over the counter cough, cold, or even prescription drugs) I also take time for me. It is a MUST as it appears that irregular heart beats are the norm for a lot of peri and post menopausal women. Now it appears that you are an educated researcher and advocate for yourself, so please make sure you have a doctor who takes you seriously. If they do not then it is time to move on. Hope this has been of some help and that I was not too blunt.

VALERIE -I AM ALSO GOING THRU A LONG PERIOD OF SICKNESS NAUSEA ,FLUSHING ,DIZZINESS.SWEATS ,ANDRENALINE RUSH .I HAVE BEEN SICK SINCE DECEMBER .BY MARCH IT WAS SO BAD I HAD TO GO OUT ON DISABILTY . BEEN TESTED FOR A THOUSAND THINGS NOTHING ONLY THING FOUND WAS LOW ESTROGEN .COULDN'T CONVINCE MY GYN THAT ALL THESE SYPTOMS ARE PART OF MENOPAUSE .I AM GLAD I WENT INTO THIS SITE TODAY IT MADE ME FEEL ALOT BETTER TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF SYMPTOMS. YESTERDAY I WAS AT MY PRIMARY DOCTOR HE WAS LIKE WE CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU IT HAS TO BE IN YOUR HEAD SO HE WAS GOING TO GIVE ME AN ANTI DEPRESSANT.I SAID NO WAY . # I WOULD RATHER BE EVALUATED BY A SHRINK. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS EVERYTIME A DOCTOR CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ESPECALLY IF YOU ARE A WOMAN . BE CAREFUL OF THE ANTI DEPRESSANT.FIND A DOCTOR THAT SPECIALIZES IN MENOPAUSE .BELEIVE ME YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE GOING THRU THIS . IT GREAT TO BE ABLE TO VENT .THAT IS WHAT THE WEB SITE IS FOR

Forty is young for such severe symptoms. Maybe try talking to someone at a health food store about herbal remedies and possibly drop a few pounds if you're overweight, since hormones and weight seem to be connected somehow. Good luck!

Yes! I've been on BCP forever because of PCOS. My doctor told me the same thing about getting off the pill to see if I'm in menopause or not. She said I had to be off it for 3 months before she could do an accurate blood test because my hormones would even out by then. About 3 months ago (while still on the pill) I started having the hot flashes and lots of headaches and aches and pains. I decided to go off the pill to see what would happen. I also went to a proper GYN and she said I only had to be off the BCP for 7 days before she could do the FSH test and determine whether or not I was menopausal. Result was a 32 she said was post menopausal. I haven't had a period for 2 months now off the pill, however these past few days I have had a lot of cramping, am very bloated and am having discharge that looks like ovulation. I don't know if that means I'll get a period or not. They say you are not officially in menopause until you have had no period for 12 months. So to answer your question: I felt that my menopause had started breaking through the BCP as well because I was experiencing those same symptoms...maybe the BCP just masked the menopause until it started coming on too strong to be masked??