Long QT Syndrome

This is a heart electrical change that markedly increases the risk for an abnormal heart rhythm and potentially is very serious. As shown in the diagram [Bonnie add the one in the “heart hurdles” Ask Us], the QT duration is lengthened for various reasons and that can trigger an arrhythmia. It is better to have a shorter QT interval. We now know that high estrogen levels importantly lengthen and that progesterone levels shorten the QT interval. A randomized study in rabbits who inherited the risk for Long QT Syndrome showed that progesterone therapy prevented sudden death.
This suggests that the perimenopausal women with an arrhythmia that is not linked to serious heart disease might be effectively treated with progesterone.