Fainting has many possible causes.
Menopause causes many possible symptoms. Is there an overlap?
With all the symptoms that menopause can trigger, one has to wonder if fainting – not just feeling faint or lightheaded – is one of them.
“Dizziness or lightheadedness is certainly a symptom that gets reports as part of menopause, but fainting is not,” says Dr. Kate Killoran, OBGYN and medical advisor at Your Doctors Online, an online doctor chat site.
“Actual fainting caused by menopause alone is uncommon.
“There are various factors that contribute to dizziness in menopause, and these may be more age-related than specifically due to menopause.
“For instance, some women report feeling dizzy as part of a hot flash or fatigue which is common in menopause — may predispose to dizziness.
“It is unlikely that these factors alone would be the cause of actual fainting though. Possible but unlikely.”
It’s so unlikely, that if a woman – who’s going through menopause – has experienced a fainting episode – she should NEVER chalk it up to menopause.
Even if this change of life has resulted in a wide array of symptoms, she should never just assume that the latest symptom – a fainting episode – was triggered by menopause.
Possible Causes of Passing Out
There are just so many, but because a heart condition can cause this problem, a woman should waste no time getting her heart checked out.
She should see a cardiologist but also her primary care physician, since the PCP can investigate non-cardiac causes of blacking out such as diabetes, low blood pressure or an adverse reaction to a prescription drug.
If the passing out seems to be linked to other new-onset symptoms – shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing up sputum – this is an emergency situation and the patient should be driven to an emergency room.
Fainting with these other symptoms is suggestive of an acute heart condition or a blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism).
A pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when a blood clot obstructs a pulmonary artery in the lungs, often originating from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs.
This blockage impedes blood flow, leading to reduced oxygen supply to lung tissue.
Prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial, since this condition can be life-threatening.
Dr. Killoran has a private practice and is also a health coach at drkatemd.com. Your Doctors Online offers a free 7 day trial: Ask a doctor questions and get answers in minutes from anywhere 24/7. Learn more here.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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