Hollywood actor Halle Berry is teaming up with bipartisan senators to advocate for legislation that would allocate $275 million for research and education on menopause. Menopause, a significant hormone shift that women go through in middle age, often goes unmentioned and unexplored in medical settings. Berry, 57, openly shared her own experience with menopause, highlighting the need to remove the shame associated with it and promote open discussions on the topic. The proposed legislation aims to increase funding for clinical trials and hormone therapy research related to menopause, as well as enhance detection, diagnosis, doctor training, and public awareness efforts.
Berry’s own struggles with perimenopause, the period before menopause where estrogen levels decrease, were initially misdiagnosed by her doctor as herpes. This misdiagnosis underscores the lack of awareness and understanding surrounding menopause in the medical community. The proposed bill, spearheaded by senators from both parties, plans to allocate $125 million for clinical trials and research on menopause, with the remainder earmarked for support programs, public health initiatives, and awareness campaigns. Senator Patty Murray emphasized that menopause should not be stigmatized or ignored, and that it is a normal part of women’s lives that deserves attention.
In addition to Berry, other celebrities have also started discussing menopause more openly in public forums, raising awareness and reducing the stigma associated with it. President Joe Biden’s initiative to enhance research on women’s health, including menopause, reflects a broader effort to address gaps in understanding women’s health throughout different life stages. Despite garnering bipartisan support from a group of 17 women senators, the bill’s prospects remain uncertain given the challenges of passing legislation amidst political divisiveness and limited legislative days before the upcoming election. The group of women senators will need to secure support from their male colleagues in Congress to ensure the funding for menopause research becomes a reality.
Senator Lisa Murkowski emphasized the importance of funding research on menopause, noting that if men experienced menopause, the research would have been prioritized long ago. The bill, which has cleared a significant hurdle with bipartisan backing, represents a potential breakthrough in addressing the gaps in knowledge and understanding of menopause. Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, the director of the National Institutes of Health, highlighted the need for more research on women’s health to improve medical understanding and treatment options. The advocacy efforts of Berry and the bipartisan group of senators reflect a growing awareness and commitment to advancing women’s health research, particularly in areas like menopause that have long been overlooked.
