“I’m in menopause, OK?”
It’s not every day someone shouts that from the steps of the U.S. Capitol – nevermind someone famous. But that’s exactly what actress Halle Berry did late last week, in a bid for Congressional support of legislation that would, if approved, see $275 million in federal funding dedicated toward research and education efforts around menopause.
The bill – known as the Advancing Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act – was drafted and introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers that includes Senators Tammy Baldwin, Lisa Murkowski and Amy Klobuchar. Others, including Senators Tammy Duckworth and Kirsten Gillibrand, co-sponsored the bill. Several of them joined Berry for the announcement.
Specifically, the money sought would be used to expand menopause research at the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to refine early detection, diagnosis and treatment courses, to improve medical training on treating menopause through grant-funded programs, and more.
Such investments could make life far easier for the 75 million women who are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause right now in the U.S., proponents of the bill argue – and the roughly 6,000 more women entering this new phase of life each day. At present, menopause is hurting women’s careers and mental health, research shows, as they weather symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings.
“While half of Americans will experience menopause in their lifetime, many women are forced to suffer in silence with sometimes debilitating symptoms and limited options for treatment,” Baldwin said in a statement.
Indeed, the stigma that still surrounds menopause is directly harming scores of Americans, too, supporters of the bill note – making it all the more pressing to advocate for it loudly.
“The shame has to be taken out of menopause,” Berry, who is 57, said while addressing the public last Thursday. “We have to talk about this very normal part of our life that happens. Our doctors can’t even say the word to us, let alone walk us through the journey.”
