Q: can you explain why oestrogen is such an important hormone for women and performance?

From the best time to do Pilates to when to lay off cardio, Polly Vernon reveals what she discovered when researching the female body

From heavy periods to hormonal outbreaks and chocolate cravings, Dr Hazel Wallace, aka The Food Medic, shares how you can make each month easier

Hormones shape how we react to external factors. They make us feel confident, excited and happy, but they can also lead to self-doubt and leave us feeling low on self-esteem. Dr Helen Wall, GP partner

Three decades since a Canadian endocrinologist popularised a word for the transitional period between the onset of symptoms and your final period, the term has infiltrated the menopause conversation. But the facts remain as foggy as a frontal lobe deprived of oestrogen. As Perimenopause Awareness Month collides with the return to school, consider this a lesson in how to navigate this life stage

Blood that has grouped into clots is normal and to be expected on the heavier days of your period. Periods aren’t just blood but also discarded uterine lining mixed and vaginal fluid, so it can appear

Hormones shape how we react to external factors. They make us feel confident, excited and happy, but they can also lead to self-doubt and leave us feeling low on self-esteem. Dr Helen Wall, GP partner