When I called Dr. Gerard Abreo, a highly-regarded cardiologist in the Houston area, to ask him about the complications from birth control he sees in his practice, I fully expected to have a conversation mostly centered around blood clots. Blood clots (and pulmonary embolisms) certainly were part of the conversation, but they took a backseat to other, more common concerns — many of which had to do with (of all things, for a cardiologist) mental health.
“You want to know what I see more than anything else in otherwise healthy young women, 18-25 years of age? Anxiety.” Abreo told me over the phone one Sunday afternoon.
Anxiety and Heart Palpitations
I was stunned. Why, I asked, would anyone need to see a cardiologist for anxiety? Wasn’t that under the purview of a psychiatrist or psychologist? “Heart palpitations,” he responded. “Anxiety-related heart palpitations, caused by their birth control.”
As Abreo explained to me, many of these young women are referred to him by their general practitioners. Heart palpitations — and inappropriate tachycardia — aren’t something to take lightly, even in otherwise healthy, young women, so patients experiencing palpitations are often referred to him for echocardiograms to find the source. […]
— Read More: thefederalist.com
