"Quick flutter skip": midlife women's descriptions of palpitations

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Women's Health
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Palpitations are a common yet poorly understood symptom in peri- and postmenopausal women.
• Understanding women's subjective experiences is crucial for effective clinical management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe peri- and postmenopausal women's experiences with palpitations, including symptom characteristics and healthcare interactions.
• To identify factors influencing women's reporting and management of palpitations.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study utilizing semistructured interviews.
• 14 women experiencing palpitations (mean age 54.5 years) participated.
• Content analysis of women's narratives was performed.

Main Results:

• Women often struggled to describe palpitations without prompting and reported varied symptom qualities.
• Healthcare experiences ranged from symptom underreporting to diagnostic testing.
• Some women created 'worst-case scenarios' to justify seeking care, often minimizing symptoms.

Conclusions:

• Findings enhance understanding of how women perceive and communicate palpitations.
• Implications for developing improved clinical tools, communication strategies, and behavioral interventions for this population.
• Highlights the need for better assessment and education regarding palpitations in peri- and postmenopausal women.