What is Halle Berry doing for Wisconsin women?

The actor and menopause advocate is speaking in support of a bipartisan bill to get better resources to doctors and patients. She did the same last year for a bill by Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

A bipartisan group of Wisconsin lawmakers is getting a little celebrity help in promoting a bill designed to help improve women’s health in menopause.

Actress Halle Berry joined an online news conference Tuesday as legislators urged colleagues to pass a measure that directs the state’s Department of Health Services to partner with private healthcare providers to design materials that can educate women on perimenopause and menopause.

Last year, Berry also joined Sen. Tammy Baldwin in promoting a congressional bill that would increase funding into menopause research for things like chronic and debilitating conditions, better detection and treatment of symptoms, and data collection to improve women’s health.

Berry described how three different health episodes were not correctly or readily diagnosed as being part of menopause, which delayed the right treatment options for her. 

“Why are we so afraid of menopause?” Berry said. “Because we have zero education around it. It’s stigmatized. That’s why education is so important. I have real life examples of how more education would have saved me almost four years of self-exploration and self diagnosis. I would love to have gotten this information from my health care providers.”

Berry said more must be done to dispel the stigma of menopause and improve menopause education for doctors — especially since 75 million women are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause right now in the US, with 6,000 more women reaching menopause each day.

The state bill is awaiting a vote in the Senate’s committee on health, aging, and long-term care, with sponsor and Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein saying there are clear examples from Berry, from herself, from fellow sponsors like Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa), and many other women demonstrating the need to do more so they’re not left consulting with “Dr. Google.”

“If that’s happening to Halle Berry with her doctors,” Hesselbein said, “or in Wisconsin, where I have nice health insurance, or to Rep. Vyning, we know we’re not alone.”