Support and Advocates of Menopause 

Celebrities Supporting Menopause

Advocates of Menopause – Making the Taboo, Taboo

Advocates of Menopause – Halle Berry, Stacy London, Oprah Winfrey, and more celebrities have said about Menopause and candid conversations about women’s health 

See what celebrities and public figures have said about their experiences with menopause

Menopause is a stage of life so many people go through, and yet, the education behind it has not been discussed broadly. Research is lacking so much that in December 2023 congresswomen Yvette Clarke of New York and Debbie Lesko of Arizona, in collaboration with nonprofit Let Us Talk Menopause, presented the Menopause Research and Equity Act to Congress.  

The bill would require the director of the National Institutes of Health to evaluate the results and status of completed and ongoing research related to menopause, perimenopause or mid-life women’s health, to conduct and support additional such research and for other purposes.

Celebrities and public figures like Halle Berry, who recently opened up about her experiences with menopause, have offered candid and insightful details about what their bodies endured and how their respective lives changed.  

Ahead, see what Halle Berry, Stacy London and more public figures have said about their experiences with menopause. 

“You’re going through a life change, and there’s no turning back,” Couric told Good Housekeeping. “I think emotionally and psychologically it is weird to feel like, ‘Gosh, my childbearing years are over.’” At the time, Couric also said she wants “to help women get the latest information; it’s one of those things people don’t talk about, and doctors don’t have time to really work with women…I mean, let’s talk about this stuff.”   https://katiecouric.com/health/aging/understanding-menopause/#cultural-and-social-perspectives-of-menopause 

“So many women I’ve talked to see menopause as a blessing,” Winfrey said in 2019, via Oprah Daily. “I’ve discovered that this is your moment to reinvent yourself after years of focusing on the needs of everyone else.” 

“First of all, my ego told me that I was going to skip perimenopause,” Halle Berry said at A Day of Unreasonable Conversation. “I am in great shape. I am healthy. I managed to get myself off insulin and manage my diabetes since I was 20 years old. So that makes one think, ‘Oh, I can handle menopause. I am going to skip that whole thing.’ I was so uneducated about it at that time.” 

“I feel like I have razor blades in my vagina. I run to my gynaecologist, and I say, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening?’ It was terrible. He said, ‘You have the worst case of herpes I’ve ever seen.’ I am like, ‘Herpes? I do not have herpes.’” 

“I realise after the fact, that is a symptom of perimenopause. My doctor had no knowledge and did not prepare me. That is when I knew, ‘Oh my gosh, I have got to use my platform. I have to use all of who I am, and I must start making a change and a difference for other women.’” 

“Menopause taught me to quickly say, ‘You know, it may only get worse. So just love yourself now. Just get over your insecurities — they are standing in your way. And fear is standing in your way,’” Shania Twain told the New York Post in 2023. https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/a60700272/shania-twain-positive-side-to-menopause/ 

“I am dressed, I need to get out, walk into an event, and it was like somebody put a furnace in my core and turned it on high. Then, everything started melting and I thought, ‘Well this is crazy, I can’t do this,’” Michelle Obama said of her experience on a podcast in 2020. “What a woman’s body is taking her through is important information,” she said. “It’s an important thing to take up space in a society, because half of us are going through this but we’re living like it’s not happening.” See Michelle Obama and Menopause – https://www.healthline.com/health-news/michelle-obama-and-menopause-symptoms-how-she-fought-weight-gain-and-hot-flashes 

“Having spent years in the styling industry, I recognised the need for a culture that openly discusses midlife topics without taboo,” Stacy London told WWD. “Through my Pinterest TV show, ‘Midlife Magic,’ I will speak to female founders and highlight the products revolutionising the discourse surrounding menopause and health.” https://www.self.com/story/stacy-london-menopause-symptoms 

During a 2023 interview with HELLO! Magazine, British actress Jane Seymour revealed that she was put on MHT after experiencing painful sex, a common symptom associated with menopause.

“I made sure with my doctor that I got it accurate,” she told the publication. “I hit menopause between the ages of 50 and 51, which is perfectly normal, and because I didn’t have a family history of breast cancer, I was put on HRT.” 

In addition, Seymour told the publication that she feels empowered being on oestrogen and refers to it as her “superpower.”

The actress, model and CEO of Commence spoke frankly about her transition into menopause. A year or two after her first hot flash on a movie set, Shields shares that night sweats started to become a regular part of her life, finally leading her to speak with her gynecologist.

“She started me on bioidenticals, oestrogen and progesterone, in order to, as she described it, help me get over the hump, so I wasn’t plummeting off a cliff,” Shields writes in her new book. “The intention was that these hormones would help me avoid the most severe menopause symptoms: the even more extreme hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, dryness and changes to hair and skin.”

Gwyneth Paltrow has long been a vocal advocate for breaking the silence on health topics often considered taboo. In fact, she’s revolved her whole lifestyle brand, goop around it. True to form, the Marvel actress has openly shared her personal experiences with perimenopause, bringing attention to her challenges and normalising this natural phase of life, particularly when it comes to hormone replacement therapy.

“I tried to take other routes, but it wasn’t worth the suffering,” Paltrow said in a recent Q&A for her newsletter when asked if she takes HRT. “And after all the research I have done and the many cutting-edge MDs I have spoken to, I feel good about my protocol. Dr. Taz is a helpful resource to listen to or read from, as you talk through this with your own doctor.”

This isn’t the first time Paltrow has opened up about her journey through perimenopause. In 2023, the 51-year-old actress told People the transition has been “a roller coaster.”

Two-time Oscar-nominated actress, Naomi Watts continues to be open about her menopause journey. After facing early menopause at 36 with little support, the actress, now 55, launched her wellness brand, Stripes, in 2022. Her goal is to fill the information void, providing support, products and resources to those navigating menopause.

In an interview with Women’s Health to discuss the launch of Stripes, Watts revealed she uses HRT, which she used to assist with hot flashes and sleep. 

“It’s not a silver bullet,” she told the publication “But it’s certainly helped me.”

Watts has also gone on the record and expressed her apprehension about being so vocal on her journey due to ageist norms in Hollywood. 

“As a Hollywood actor where we’ve always been told, ‘don’t mention your age’ or ‘It’s all going to dry up by the age of 40,’” Watts told Flow Space. “There was a lot of risk and fear around that, but leaning into my vulnerabilities and making them my strengths overpowered that fear.”

As a menopause coach, I feel the powerful presence of celebrities and familiar voices championing this cause is truly inspiring. Their leadership provides a significant platform to dismantle the stigma surrounding menopause. By prioritising open communication and education, we can empower women with accurate information and normalise these natural experiences. For more information on menopause visit – https://menopausestudio.co.uk/