While perspiring is your body's way of cooling off, sometimes it signals problems that might be worth a trip to the doctor.

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• Sweating after starting a new medicine.
  It's a common side effect of certain drugs, such as antidepressants and some heart drugs, and usually no cause for alarm.
• Night sweats.
  Even naturally sweaty people usually perspire less at night -- except in perimenopause, when hormone shifts affect your inner thermostat. Other causes to investigate: tuberculosis, heart-valve inflammation, and some types of cancer.
• Sweat with a sudden high fever.
  This could be a sign of a potentially serious infection, a thyroid disorder, or the flu.
• Asymmetrical sweat.
  It's not normal to sweat more on one side. If it's seriously lopsided, it could be a sign of multiple sclerosis. Have it checked out.

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal, May 2009.