Palpitations can come from anxiety, hormones, or thyroid dysfunction — but they can also signal something cardiac that needs immediate attention. We start with safety, then look at the hormonal picture.
Heart palpitations — a racing, pounding, fluttering, or skipped-beat sensation — have many possible causes, and it's important to be direct about this: some causes are cardiac and need prompt medical evaluation, including certain arrhythmias and structural heart issues. If you're experiencing palpitations along with chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting or near-fainting, or if they started suddenly and severely, seek emergency care rather than scheduling a routine consultation.
For palpitations that are mild, intermittent, and not accompanied by those warning signs, hormonal causes are common — an overactive thyroid, hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause, anxiety, or excess caffeine and stimulant use can all trigger a racing or irregular-feeling heartbeat. This is the category we evaluate, always alongside appropriate cardiac screening when indicated.
We take a thorough history and, when appropriate, coordinate cardiac screening (like an EKG) before attributing palpitations to a hormonal cause — this isn't something to guess about. Once cardiac causes are appropriately addressed or ruled out, we evaluate thyroid function, hormone levels, and other contributing factors.
An overactive thyroid is a common, treatable cause of palpitations — see our full thyroid evaluation approach.
Learn About Thyroid HealthAnxiety and elevated stress hormones can produce a racing or pounding heartbeat — see our anxiety care approach.
Learn About Anxiety Care"Palpitations are one symptom I never want a patient to just tough out or self-diagnose off the internet. We rule out anything cardiac first, always. Once that's done, there's often a very treatable hormonal story underneath."
Heart palpitations often connect to: thyroid health, anxiety, perimenopause, and hot flashes.
What patients ask most before their first appointment.
Book a consultation and we'll make sure your heart is checked appropriately before looking at the hormonal picture.