Actress Halle Berry screamed, “I have menopause!” on the steps of Capitol Hill on Thursday while stressing her desire to raise awareness surrounding the topic.
“I have menopause!” Berry shouted at a podium in Washington, D.C., surrounded by U.S. Senators who had just unveiled legislation seeking a great deal of funding and resources to go toward issues involving menopause, according to a report by TMZ.
Watch Below:
The Catwoman star told her audience a story about an alleged encounter she recently had with her doctor, who she said was afraid to even say the word “menopause.”
I was at the doctor three days ago, and I wanted to talk to him about an issue, and I said to him, “You know why I’m having this issue, right?” And he says, “Yes, I know.” I said, “Tell me, why am I having this issue?” He said, “You tell me why you’re having the issue.” I said, “No, you tell me why I’m having the issue.” And we went back and forth: “You tell me, you tell me, you tell me.”
I finally realized he wasn’t gonna say it, so I thought, “Okay, I have to do what no man can do. I have to say it.” I said, “I’m in menopause! Okay? And that’s why I’m having this issue!” And he said, “Oh my God, I could never say that to you. Look at you. You don’t look like you’re in menopause. I could never say that, and if I said that to my female clients, they’d punch me.”
“I knew that is why I’m here doing this work, because it has to be destigmatized,” Berry said. “The shame has to be taken out of menopause. We have to talk about this very normal part of our life that happens.”
“Our doctors can’t even say the word to us, let alone walk us through the journey of what our menopausal years look like, or our years after that,” the Monster’s Ball actress continued.
“So when I have these moments, real moments that happen to me, I know that every other woman around this country are having these real moments as well,” Berry added. “They’re lost, they’re afraid, they don’t have direction, and they need help.”
The bill, known as the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, is sponsored by senators in both parties and seeks $275 million to go toward research, raising awareness, and training medical professionals on menopause-related care.
Reactions to the proposed legislation are mixed, with critics saying the issue is simply not serious enough to be receiving so much attention.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X/Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
