ITV doctor has shared a lesser-known menopause symptom that can occur when driving
A GP has revealed a little-known symptom that can emerge while driving and impacts “lots of women”. The expert says this can happen during perimenopause or menopause.
Menopause is a natural phase of life that typically affects women aged between 45 and 55. It happens when hormone levels in the body drop to a level where periods cease.
Because of these hormonal shifts, the body can go through a variety of symptoms that can affect both physical and mental wellbeing. Most people are familiar with some of the more widespread effects, including hot flushes, mood swings, and brain fog.
However, Doctor Amir Khan, who is widely recognised for his appearances on ITV, highlighted a possible symptom you might not be aware of. In a video shared on his Instagram page, Dr Amir cautioned that women may begin to feel more anxious when in a vehicle.
He said: “Earlier today I was told by my sister, I was just chatting to her while I was driving, and she told me that she’s suddenly become really anxious when she gets into cars. Either when she’s driving or when she’s a passenger in the car, and that’s when it’s worse actually, when her husband or her kids are driving her somewhere.
“And she said she has to like hold on really tight and she comments on their driving and it’s not like her, it’s not like her at all. She actually used to be a bit of a girl racer, I remember when she was younger she was racing up and down the streets of Bradford.”
Dr Amir noted that this is actually “really common”, yet it’s not something people “talk about it enough”. He went on to say: “Anyway, I told her driving anxiety is really common around the perimenopause and menopause. Really common, and actually we don’t talk about it enough. And I think her hearing that and normalising it really helped her.”
Dr Amir went on to outline why this phenomenon can happen. “Because when oestrogen levels drop, remember chemicals in your brain are linked to oestrogen, so when oestrogen levels drop and progesterone levels drop as well, serotonin, your happy brain chemical goes down.
“GABA, that’s the big one, GABA, which is your calming brain cushion is taken away. And suddenly things that didn’t feel like a threat before suddenly feel really threatening and your brain goes into fight or flight mode.
“So that’s what’s happening to her and that’s what happens to lots of women during the peri and menopause and they don’t even know why. So that kind of driving anxiety is linked to low oestrogen, progesterone causing low serotonin, and GABA in your brain and it’s completely normal.”
Dr Amir outlined several approaches that might ease this symptom. He said: “So knowing that might help, HRT [hormone replacement therapy] might help, cognitive behavioural therapy might help, breathing exercises, grounding exercises can help as well but just knowing you’re not alone.”
Other symptoms
As listed by the NHS website, “common” symptoms of perimenopause and menopause can include:
- Changes to your mood, like low mood, anxiety, mood swings and low self-esteem
- Problems with memory or concentration (brain fog)
- Hot flushes, when you have sudden feelings of hot or cold in your face, neck and chest which can make you dizzy
- Difficulty sleeping, which may be a result of night sweats and make you feel tired and irritable during the day
- Palpitations, when your heartbeats suddenly become more noticeable
- Headaches and migraines that are worse than usual
- Muscle aches and joint pains
- Changed body shape and weight gain
- Skin changes including dry and itchy skin
- Reduced sex drive
- Vaginal dryness and pain, itching or discomfort during sex
- Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Sensitive teeth, painful gums or other mouth problems
Symptoms can last for months or years. The NHS says you should see a GP or nurse if you think you have perimenopause or menopause symptoms.


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