Halle Berry Advocates for Menopause Education in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wisconsin – Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry is helping Wisconsin lawmakers promote a bipartisan bill aimed at educating women about menopause and perimenopause. Berry spoke to reporters via Zoom on October 21, sharing her own experiences with the lack of education surrounding the condition.

“Why are we so afraid of menopause? Because we have zero education around it. It’s stigmatized,” Berry said. She emphasized the importance of education, explaining how she faced nearly four years of self-exploration and misdiagnosis before understanding her symptoms were linked to menopause.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the average age for women to enter menopause is 51, with perimenopause starting in their 40s. Symptoms can vary widely, from hot flashes to emotional changes. Berry noted that inadequate training among healthcare providers contributes to this issue.

“Education and information about menopause and perimenopause have been neglected,” said Sen. Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, who co-authored the bill. She recalled being told she had “frozen shoulder” without knowing it might be related to menopause.

Current research shows that over 90% of ob-gyn residency program directors support including standardized menopause education, but fewer than one-third offer such training. Furthermore, a study revealed that more than 80% of women under 40 lack sufficient knowledge about menopause.

State Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, stated, “Many women say, ‘I don’t feel like myself,’ and they deserve to know why that is.” She, along with Hesselbein, Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton, and Rep. Karen DeSanto, D-Baraboo, are pushing for the bill to mandate the state Department of Health Services to create educational materials for women experiencing these changes.

Berry concluded with a call for improved awareness, stating, “I know these years over 40 are some of the best years of a woman’s life, and we deserve to live in good health.”