I have been having hot flushes for a while now, and have recently realised that they come on after drinking coffee. Does this mean I should give up coffee? And have you come across this before?

This is very common! Many women find that food and drink with a high caffeine content, food with a high salt and sugar content, alcohol and spicy foods can cause flushing. It is best to try and avoid these types of food and drink if possible as response to these may become  severe over time. It does, however, depend on how much you love your coffee! You could try just having one coffee a day at mealtimes as the food may slow down the absorption of the caffeine resulting in a lesser response.

Eileen Durward