I sweat several time a day, every day. I have also put on a stone and a half within 9 weeks. How can I combat my hot sweats and lose the weight?

You may find the sage tablets helpful for the flushes. If most of the flushes are during the day you can take the tablet with your breakfast, they do tend to work quickly.

Hormonal changes can often affect the metabolism and carbohydrate digestion. 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 carbohydrates right down and increasing good quality protein and vegyables - this can often help quite quickly.

Read more about it in the 'Low GL' Diet - you can get books on this from Amazon.

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.

Eileen Durward