Doctor, doctor

Dr Rosemary Leonard MBE is a GP with many years’ experience working in London’s top teaching hospitals

I went through the menopause last year and decided that I needed to look after my health a bit better. I’ve become a vegetarian, lost a bit of weight and do more exercise. So I was surprised when my recent NHS health check showed my cholesterol level had risen. Oestrogen, which is produced by the ovaries, lowers levels of the harmful LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream, but oestrogen levels fall dramatically after the menopause and this means many women find their cholesterol levels rise when their periods stop. Diet can also have an affect. So if your cholesterol levels remain high despite changing your diet, you could consider taking a statin. Contact Dr Leonard at S Magazine,

Sunday Express, Second Floor, Northern and Shell Building, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN, or email dr. leonard@express.co.uk. Dr Leonard regrets that she cannot reply personally to letters. Read her column every Tuesday in the Daily Express.