The expert said we don’t “talk about it enough”
A doctor has shared a lesser-known symptom that can appear when driving and affects “lots of women”. According to the expert, this can occur during perimenopause or menopause.
Menopause is a natural stage in life that usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55. It occurs when hormone levels in the body lower to a point where periods stop.
As a result of these changes, the body can experience a range of symptoms that can impact both your physical and mental health. Many of us are aware of some of the more common side effects, such as hot flushes, mood swings, and brain fog.
But Doctor Amir Khan, who is best known for his appearances on ITV, explained a potential symptom you may not have heard of. Speaking in a video posted to his Instagram page, Dr Amir warned that you may start to feel more anxious when in a car.
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 explained that his is actually “really common”. However, we don’t “talk about it enough”.
He continued: “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 detailed why this can occur. “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 shared some things that could help with this symptom. “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,” he said.
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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