Dawn harper ask the doctor

Your good health

Q I’m struggling with my mood through the menopause. Initially, I was tearful a lot of the time, but this seems to have developed into being very short-fused. I’m often screaming at my teenage childre

Q It may sound trivial, but my hair is getting very thin. I asked my hairdresser about it – they agreed that they’d noticed this too and suggested I see my GP for some blood tests, which I have done.

Q Last October, I was admitted to hospital and was diagnosed with gallstones. I was told I would need my gallbladder out and have been given a date for my surgery at the end of July. Since my admissio

As a medical student, I had a total of two weeks’ training in dermatology – the specialty for skin diseases. That made it a bit of a shock when I entered general practice, where every other patient se

One of the most well-known symptoms of menopause is hot flushes. Around 60-70% of women get them during perimenopause, due to the decrease in oestrogen affecting the brain’s internal thermostat. They