Actress Halle Berry is opening up about her personal experiences with menopause stigma in hopes of promoting menopause research, training, and education.

On Thursday, May 2, Berry stood with a bipartisan group of senators in Washington, D.C., to introduce new legislation aimed at expanding and promoting menopause research and awareness.

"I am here because I am standing up for myself. I'm here because I know that when women stand up for themselves, they are standing up for all women," Berry said. 'And all women go through menopause.'

In a video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Berry recounted her own experience with a doctor who she said was unwilling to even utter the word "menopause" in her presence.

"I went to the doctor three days ago to talk about a problem," Berry said. 'You know why I have this problem, don't you?' And he said, 'Well, you know, I've got this problem.' And I said. 'Tell me, why do I have this problem? And he said, 'No, tell me why I have this problem. I said, 'No, tell me why I have this problem.'"

Berry continued that she and her doctor "went back and forth" before she "realized he wasn't going to say it."

"So I thought to myself, 'I've got to say it. I have to say it," she continued. 'I said: 'I'm menopausal. ' I said: 'That's why I have this problem. ' And he said: 'You know what? You don't look menopausal. I could never say that, and if I said that to all my female clients, they would beat me up."

Berry said the "moment" served as a reminder of why he was doing this job here.

"You have to remove the stigma. We have to take the shame out of menopause."

"We have to take the shame out of menopause. We have to talk about this very normal thing that happens in life. Our doctors cannot even speak the word, let alone explain to us what menopause is like, or what the years afterward are like."

"We must take the shame out of menopause.

According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 2 million women in the United States enter menopause each year, which is estimated at 6,000 women per day.

However, one 2023 survey found that 9 out of 10 women have never been educated about menopause. According to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, most medical schools and residency programs do not teach students about menopause, and 80% of residents say they have "little resistance" to talking about or treating menopause.

"Nearly one-third of women in this country are postmenopausal," says Wen Shen, assistant professor of gynecology in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 'Many of them are suffering needlessly.'

"So when these practical moments come to me," Berry continued, "I know that other women across this country are having these practical moments as well." They are lost; they are afraid; they have no direction and they need help." In a recent Instagram post, Berry wrote, "By advocating for my own health and well-being during menopause, I stand up not only for myself, but for all women.""Today we stand together to demand the care and attention we so deserve A call to action for each and every one of us." The caption, shared along with a photo with the words, continued: "Every time a woman stands up for herself, we stand up for all women."

If passed, the new bipartisan bill, the so-called "Promoting Menopausal Care and Midlife Women's Health Act," would appropriate millions of dollars for menopause research, public education, and appropriate information and training efforts for healthcare providers.

The bill is sponsored by several female senators, including Washington State Democrat Patty Murray, Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowi, Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar, and Maine Republican Susan Collins. [So here I am: we have been overlooked and abandoned for far too long. [So here I am: we have been overlooked and discarded for far too long. I am so grateful to have a team of powerful, strong, smart women who are saying enough is enough. We have a team of powerful, strong, smart women who are saying enough is enough.