Menopause Services Crisis: Halle Berry Demands Action

Actress Halle Berry took on a new, vital role on Thursday, joining Senators to pass a long-overdue bill addressing women's health issues.

The Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, authored by a bipartisan group of female senators, is a groundbreaking initiative. The bill allocates $275 million over five years to fund research, grants, education, outreach, and essential services for women experiencing perimenopause or menopause. It's about damn time.

Introducing the bill are these badass senators:

• Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
• Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
• Susan Collins (R-ME)
• Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Patty Murray (D-WA)

Halle Berry, sharing her personal experience with misdiagnosis, said:

"Do you know why I’m having this issue?” I asked my doctor. “I’m in menopause, okay? And that is why I’m having this issue."

Halle Berry, revealing the impact of misdiagnosis:

"My perimenopause was misdiagnosed as the worst case of herpes. That is why I’m here doing this work, because it has to be destigmatized. The shame has to be taken out of menopause. We have to talk about this very normal part of our life. Our doctors can’t even say the word to us let alone walk us through the journey.”

Berry's experience highlights the shocking lack of menopause education in residency programs. It's absolutely unacceptable that in this day and age, doctors are still failing women by not even mentioning the word "menopause."

Senators, standing with Halle Berry, recognize the urgency of this bipartisan menopause bill:

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), in a powerful post on X (formerly Twitter), shared a photo of the group, saying:

"For too long, menopause has simply been written off as a 'women’s issue.' Women shouldn’t have to suffer in silence. Proud to stand with @halleberry and my colleagues to introduce bipartisan legislation that makes long overdue investments in menopause research."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), calling for more inclusive research**:**

"Menopause is a reality for all women, yet the lack of research on symptoms and treatments is astonishing. It's time to extend our research focus to include women across their entire lifetime."

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), demanding action on menopause**:**

"Menopause has been overlooked, underinvested in, and left behind. It's past time to stop treating menopause like a secret and start treating it like the major public health issue it is—and I'm taking action with a new bipartisan bill."

It's about time we address women's health issues head-on and give them the attention and funding they deserve. Props to these senators and Halle Berry for their advocacy.