I have been reading up on the menopause as I believe I am starting to go through it. I am having difficulty losing weight. I am a member of slimming world and everything has suddenly become very difficult, gaining weight even though I have stuck to plan and exercised. I’ve read that a progesterone replacement may help. You can apparently buy creams. Is this correct?

Hormonal changes can often affect the metabolism and carb digestion and many women find that weight becomes an issue in the menopause. It often seems that no matter how little you eat and how much you exercise it makes no difference! I tend to suggest cutting carbs right down and increasing good quality protein and vegetables, this can often help quite quickly. Read more about it in the Low GL Diet - you can get books on this from Amazon. My blog - What's the best diet for menopause? may also help.

Sensible exercise is important but don't go overboard. The menopause puts tremendous strain on the body generally and if you push yourself too hard the body can go into 'survival mode' and reduce the metabolism further! Try eating little and often with snacks between meals such as nuts, seeds, dried fruit, plain yogurt etc.

The friendly bacteria in the gut play an important part in hormone control and also absorption and elimination and if they are in a poor state that can also affect weight control.

I would also suggest Molkosan Fruit and a short course of probiotics, especially if you get a lot of bloating as well.

Stress can also cause weight gain, especially if it is settling round the middle. In this case it is important to support your nervous system with calming herbs and supplements such as magnesium and B Vitamins.

The problem with using hormone creams etc is that at some point you have to stop using them and this can give withdrawal symptoms which can be worse than the original ones so it is best in the long run if you can go through the menopause as naturally as possible.

Eileen Durward