Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

What can you do if you get headaches with HRT or find it doesn’t help perimenopause symptoms?

Aberdeen menopause expert Jane Johnston talks to us about how to get the right treatment after police reveal Nicola Bulley struggled with "intense" headaches from HRT.

Women often find they struggle to sleep while going through perimenopause. Image: Shutterstock.
Women often find they struggle to sleep while going through perimenopause. Image: Shutterstock.

“I don’t quite feel like myself at the moment.”

These are the words you’ll often hear from women reaching their 40s who’ve started to go through the biggest transition in their lives.

There’s the sleep struggles. Then there’s hot flushes, irritability and the fog descending on the brain to the point where you’re struggling to remember what you ate last night, never mind where you put your house keys.

Sometimes you wake up in the dark with night sweats – and did I mention the changes to your mood?

Of course you don’t need to be in the middle of your life because it can happen to younger women too.

Aberdeen menopause specialist Jane Johnston helps women all round the world.
Aberdeen menopause specialist Jane Johnston helps women all round the world. Image: Jane Johnston

There’s been much debate over whether Lancashire Police should have released details of 45-year-old Nicola Bulley’s alcohol and menopause struggles while she was missing.

But the case has also highlighted the desperate need for women to get more access to help, and vital information.

‘Some women are at the end of their tether’

Davina McCall opening up about her own battle with menopause triggered a surge in women going to their GPs asking for HRT.

But what’s not often talked about is that the first treatment you’re prescribed is not always the magic pill you thought it would be.

Some women experience side effects such as nausea, cramps and even headaches with HRT like Nicola Bulley.

Nicola Bulley went missing while on a dog walk on January 27
Nicola Bulley had complained of intense headaches, brain fog and restless sleep while taking HRT commonly used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Image: Family handout/PA Wire

Women’s health specialist Jane Johnston has spent more than 20 years helping women find the right treatment options while going through the big life change.

“Some of these women have had a really desperate time and are really at the end of their tether” she says.

“But if we get it right we can turn that around.”

Headaches with HRT: What are the treatment options?

Not every woman can take HRT but Jane, who works at Albyn Hospital, says GPs and menopause specialists now have much more flexibility with the dosage for those who can.

“If a woman is perimenopausal sometimes it’s difficult to get the dose right because you’ve got your own endogenous hormones that you’re producing which are still working, but running out.

“And then you’re adding in those extra hormones in the form of HRT.

“So it’s sometimes quite a difficult rollercoaster to balance getting the dosage right and the types of treatment right.”

Some women suffer side effects such as bloating, fatigue and headaches because they are progesterone sensitive.

But women can sometimes find it a frustrating experience getting all the help and advice that they need when they visit their GP.

HRT is available in different forms, including patches
HRT is available in different forms, including patches. Image: Shutterstock

“I speak to lots of women who say they have been to their GP who will just pick the next one down on the list rather than trying to work out the different doses of oestrogen and the different types of progesterone there are,” Jane says.

“There are lots of different combinations available, we’ve got lots of preparations that we can use. It’s just knowing which way to go with that.”

Some women find that Utrogestan, a micronised progesterone more similar to the type our ovaries produce, is effective and has fewer side effects.

Jane says it can be a bit of a minefield for women starting to go through the menopause journey, especially if you’re suffering side effects, such as headaches with HRT.

But she highlights how important it is to keep working with your GP to find the right treatment, or to book an appointment with a women’s health specialist for help.

She also recommends carrying out research on these sites:

Conversation