I told my doctor I felt like I had an elephant on my chest.
She ordered an EKG and told me everything was fine.
Only it wasn’t.
The elephant on my chest made me feel like I was having a hard time breathing.
That anxiety caused panic attacks.
Plus, my father died of a heart attack at 47, so I had an extra layer of fear.
I later learned that anxiety and related physical symptoms – irregular heartbeat, palpitations, panic attacks – can all be symptoms of perimenopause. And when I had that elephant on my chest I was in perimenopause.
If you’re having these or other symptoms that are unusual to you, see your doctor.
And also be aware that fewer than 30% of OBGYNs receive menopause training, and even fewer primary care physicians do.
So if your symptoms are in fact related to menopause, they might not be able to tell you.
That’s why I created a checklist of the 34 symptoms of perimenopause – to help you start gathering info on symptoms you may be having. If you’d like a copy, just visit jennredmond.com/symptoms to download the list.
Knowledge is empowering.
xo,
Jennifer