'I'm in menopause, okay?' Halle Berry backs bill to bring more services to women's health

Actress Halle Berry took on a new role on Thursday as she joined senators to pass a bill for women's health.

Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act is a bill that will provide research, grants, education, outreach and additional services to women who are experiencing perimenopause or menopausal symptoms. The bill that will authorize $275 million over five years is supported by senators from both sides of the aisle.

The following senators have introduced the bill to Congress:

• 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)

Berry shared a recent experience she had with her doctor. After some back and forth between the two Berry asked him, “Do you know why I’m having this issue?”

“I’m in menopause, okay? And that is why I’m having this issue,” Berry responded.

Halle Berry reveals: Perimenopause was misdiagnosed as the 'worst case of herpes'

This encounter and previous ones are the reasons why Berry wanted to be a part of this bill.

“That is why I’m here doing this work, because it has to be destigmatized. The shame has to be taken out of menopause,” Berry said. “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.”

Research has shown menopause curriculum is often left out of residency programs.

Senators react to Halle Berry's support of the bipartisan menopause bill

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) shared a picture of her, the other senators and Halle Berry as they stood together to introduce the bill.

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

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) shared similar sentiments saying that more research should be done when it comes to menopause.

"Menopause is a reality in every woman’s life – yet it is astonishing how little research has been done to address the multitude of symptoms and treatments," Murkowski wrote in the post. "It is past time for us to extend our research focus to be inclusive of women across the full spectrum of life."

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said on X that menopause needs to be spoken about and more needs to be done.

"For too long, menopause has been overlooked, underinvested in, & left behind," Murray said. "It's well past time to stop treating menopause like a secret and start treating it like the major, mainstream public health issue it is—& I have a new bipartisan bill to do it."

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Halle Berry backs menopause bill, speaks about her experience