pvc's and breastfeeding

[Esther79]

I'm a 33 year old woman and just developed constant, nearly 24/7, pvc's. I've had some arrthymias previously but nothing like this. Tests so far show that there is no structural problem with the heart or other serious condition that could be causing the arrhythmia. I have a 9 month old son who is still breastfeeding and had my period again for the first time last month. Could hormonal changes cause arrhythmias that are this severe? I'd love to hear from other women with this experience, and whether things got better after weaning.

Thanks!

[lauralynn2008]

I am experiencing the exact same thing pvcs while breastfeeding. Anyone experience and improvement after finishing up with breastfeeding ? I’d like to have another baby. The pvcs didn’t happen on the first two babies only after third.

[Lisa7479]

I was 29 and preg and diagnosed w atrial.fibrillation super fast heart rate had ablations..now 38 had another baby and having annoying pvs and I breastfeed. Hormones brought on my afib so Im guessing it's same w pvcs

[h17h17]

I'm having the same problem. It looks like all these post are old, so assuming some people are done breastfeeding. So did anyone have the problem go away after they stopped breastfeeding?

[Lib7]

I can tell you that I have had issues with palpations since I was 12 and have come to the conclusion that it is totally hormonal related! When I was pregnant, they got much worse. I think it's your hormones!

[Looking4thecause]

I must add that for me these SVT runs are so long that they really truly make me feel something must be wrong or something terrible must be happening when in fact doctors tell me there is no need to worry.   Does anyone else feel this way?

[Looking4thecause]

My significant issues started when I was postpartum with my first child about two years ago now.   I first noticed a very slow heart beat in myself and then one day I ended up with a heart rate of 166 in an ambulance.   They gave me some potassium at the ER and sent me on my way adding to that that I had an abnormal EKG and I should consult my doctor.   Talk about unnerving when you are so fragile.    Fast forward about 8 months and I find out that I do have SVT because I started to have episodes again and ended up with an event recorder that captured many runs including a long sustained one.    

I felt the need to respond to this as I experienced similar heart rhythm issues and I also notice the delicacy of my heart rate at specific times in the month which seem to correlate to times when I am very hormonal and in relation to my cycle.

I have to say that my fear over SVT has scared me and I am fearful that it will keep me away from having another baby as it made me fear for my own life so much when they were happening.

[Rebekah19]

I have a similar story.  My PVCs started suddenly this past fall when my son was 18mo.  We're still nursing, but he had weaned off a bit then and I had just gotten my period back the month before.  The symptoms from the PVCs were so sever that I ended up in the hospital where they did lots of tests and diagnosed me with frequent PVCs and tachycardia.  Since my hospitalization in September things have improved a bit on the calcium channel blocker and a magnesium supplement.  However mine too are worse when I'm stressed, sleep deprived, or around the time of my period or around ovulation.  I'm also having more mood swings than before.  I am sure there is a hormonal component to all this.  I am working with a Natropath to balance my hormones naturally, but so far it's not working very well.  I, too, wonder if things will go back to normal once I am done nursing my son.  

Thanks for sharing your stories.  Please update if you have any successes.

[Esther79]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I had forgotten your thread until you posted your message, and you're the first person I hear of who had the exact same complaints. Like you, my PVC's and tachycardia is worse when I'm sleep deprived, dehydrated or before and during my period and around the time of ovulation. Since so many women have more arrhythmia around these times I am surprised so little medical research has been done on this!
My son is 19 months now and I'm still nursing and still experiencing the same nearly constant arrhythmia. Since the cardiologist couldn't find anything I tried with an herbalist who thinks that I am nutritionally deficient because of extended nursing. My own intuition is still that it's a hormonal issue, but no one has been able to confirm this. Did your arrhythmia completely disappear after you weaned your first child? My biggest worry now is that I'll always be stuck with this nuisance. Even though I have no other symptoms I am hesitant to exercise and generally feel more anxious about my health. I'll try the magnesium (what dose did you take?) and the calcium blockers. My herbalist told me to stay off gluten, sugar and dairy, but it hasn't made much of a difference so far.
Please do stay in touch and share how things are going! I think you can mail me privately through the site.

[Heartflutters]

Hello everyone, I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this thread...but I'll post anyway. So my situation is a bit confusing, I seem to be feeling my PVC's more around the time of my mentrual cycle....before, during and after especially during ovulation. I'll get them apart from my cycle, but I don't feel them as much. Sometimes I think they can be related to chocolate/caffeine intake as well. My cardiologist gave me a 14 day holter monitor to wear..but unfortunately I switched healthcare providers and my cardiologist went on vacation right before Christmas and wasn't returning until January 6th...and my start date for my new healthcare provider started the 1st of January. So now I have to wait and wonder what my results are...but I can't see my former cardiologist w/out paying out of pocket and Kaiser is expensive!!!! And my first appt. with my new doctor isn't until the 15th....then she has to go over the results and then referr me to a cardiologist. I'm trying to relax and not worry about it. It's just hard when I can feel my heart beating in my neck. Any ideas or experiences from others regarding the connection between PVC's and menstrual cycles?

[Melo28]

I just found this post via Google and i am experiencing the same thing as you. I have a ten month old and given this post was a month ago, our babies would be the same age. I have had PVCs and PSVT since i fell pregnant with my first child. This is my second child and my heart is basically doing the same thing as last time when i was breastfeeding. I found first time around that it got a lot worse when my period came back. I got PVCs and sinus tachycardia all day on and off. The morning was always worse and lack of sleep, dehydration and stress made it worse too. I also found taking a high dose of magnesium tablets helps.

For me it was terrible during weaning and took a couple of months to settle. My PSVT episodes were more frequent too. I took calcium channel blockers which helped too.

I am slowly weaning my ten month old but my period is yet to come back. I must say though i feel very hormonal at times like ive got PMS. My heart is a lot worse when i feel like this too. I think it has a lot to do with hormones and the best thing to do is try and not stress about the PVCs as hard as it is! Most people have them but its the "lucky" few like us that feel them.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes my three yr old has been attacking me while i write!

[Melo28]

I just found this post via Google and i am experiencing the same thing as you. I have a ten month old and given this post was a month ago, our babies would be the same age. I have had PVCs and PSVT since i fell pregnant with my first child. This is my second child and my heart is basically doing the same thing as last time when i was breastfeeding. I found first time around that it got a lot worse when my period came back. I got PVCs and sinus tachycardia all day on and off. The morning was always worse and lack of sleep, dehydration and stress made it worse too. I also found taking a high dose of magnesium tablets helps.

For me it was terrible during weaning and took a couple of months to settle. My PSVT episodes were more frequent too. I took calcium channel blockers which helped too.

I am slowly weaning my ten month old but my period is yet to come back. I must say though i feel very hormonal at times like ive got PMS. My heart is a lot worse when i feel like this too. I think it has a lot to do with hormones and the best thing to do is try and not stress about the PVCs as hard as it is! Most people have them but its the "lucky" few like us that feel them.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes my three yr old has been attacking me while i write!

[ireneo]

I've had 3 children, nursed them all for 1 to 1 1/2 years but never noticed nursing causing a problem. You say the increase in PVC's just started? But I'm guessing they weren't bothering you when you first started nursing.

Someone mentioned the nursing breasts might put extra pressure on the heart. The breast tissue is external and outside the rib cage so I don't think they would cause any trouble. However, the hormonal shift from neutral to first gear LOL by starting your menstrual cycle again may do it. Yes, hormone shifts seem to be a common trigger for extra arrhythmia problems.

[dolphin8808]

I have heard of many people who get skips worse around their period. I don't really have that problem (knock on wood) but this is a very very common complaint !

[MichelleP_3811]

I have not had children but I do have pvcs and pacs and they seem to be worse for me when I get my period and my breasts swell.  I believe it may be due to the extra pressure on the heart triggering the ectopics to flare up.  I can see how this might apply as well for a woman who has a lot of breast milk putting extra pressure on the heart.  I would think once the milk has gone down so will your ectopics but just be patient with them.   The heart can take a while to settle down.  I would say just do your best to watch your stress and maybe try to not overly exert yourself though I know that is probably very hard with a child.  This all said, if there is anything that is concerning to you about what is going on it is always best to go see a doctor for a check up to make sure all is well.  Take care and my best to you and your baby.