SVT new diagnosis - lots of questions

My fiance (F 27yo) has been diagnosed w/SVT. She saw a cardio & did the blood tests, stress tests, echo cardiogram, and 24hr monitor...all tests came back "negative". We are not sure of the triggers but notice that her episodes happen around her menstrual cycle. Has anyone else experienced this? How can she prevent further episodes? Will the fast heart rhythm return to normal w/o meds or medical attention? So many questions but let's start with these. TIA -Glenn

[emilycaitlin]

Hi, I'm not very good at giving advice but I have this so will try to help you a little :) My doctor says what aggravates svt is caffeine and decongestants, also alot of people say too much sugar and being dehydrated aggravate it. Personally the worst svt I ever had was brought on by being just a little dehydrated and then going outside in the heat and humidity. Alot of times I get them though for what seems like no reason, they have medicines your fiance can take if hers are too severe or frequent, and other things they can do like ablation. It sounds like she has a structurally normal heart so that is good. I'm 29, was dx at age 26. Alot of people on here have this, sorry I probably wasn't much help but if you do a search on the site you will get tons of info on svt :) Good luck to you and your fiance!

[anacyde]

YES!  I thought I was the only one having hormonally induced SVT!

I was diagnosed at 16 while I was in a rather long episode of it.  Since my heart rate wasn't terribly high, they waited and I converted on my own after they taught me how to do some vagal maneuvers (like bearing down and coughing hard) and went home.

I didn't have many episodes after that except when I was pregnant.  During both pregnancies around the 24th week, I had SVT episodes.  They were pretty short and not concerning.

After my second child was born last December, I felt great.  In March though, I started getting SVT every time I did exercise for four straight days.  On day four, I went to the ER.  Not ONE single blip the entire 4 hours I was there.  I followed up with my cardiologist and by then they seemed all but gone.  Of course.

All summer long, they came and went.  It would flare up so badly I could barely start moving and get an SVT attack.  Other times I could do 50 minutes of kickboxing and NOTHING happened.  I started writing it down, and it happened that every time I got the wave of SVT flare ups, I was mid-cycle (ovulation).  I have no clue why my body suddenly can't deal with hormonal shifts, but it's guaranteed SVT (or at the very least, some annoying runs of atrial bigeminy and PACs) every time now.  At least since I figured it out, I can avoid triggers and minimize episodes.

I'm in the process of getting in to see my OB, as I'm pretty convinced this is more of a hormone problem than a cardiac one in my case.  Someone mentioned low dose birth control bills can be helpful (I think my cardiologist?) in some people if it is hormone related.

I'm 28, by the way, and not on any medication for this.  It definitely can convert on it's own in some people, and vagal maneuvers (or cold water to the face) can help that.  People with long lasting SVT typically need medication to manage it though.

Good luck, I hope she gets this figured out soon!

[CollegeGirl143]

btw.. i think its great you are so concerned about your fiance, shes probably pretty startled by all this and im sure she needs your support

[CollegeGirl143]

Alot of people get menstration related svt due to the spike in hormones.. This can be treated with beta blockers during that time of month.. This does not mean that she will ONLY have svt during menstration though.. If you have that extra looping pathway needed for svt, its there all the time, and can technically be induced anytime.. She should either be on a beta or calcium channel blocker.. Also, ablation can cure the svt.

[iAmEllen]

My triggers are sugar, heat, dehydration.

Some people will return to normal without medication and others won't.  Depends how long her episodes last.