Halle Berry supports bill to provide more funding for menopause research

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, W-Va., is getting support from an A-list celebrity for her bill to support medical research for women going through menopause. Halle Berry, who has been a Bond girl and an X-Men superhero, is also taking a lead role as an activist for women’s health. 

Capito introduced a the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act to help women receive better treatment for menopause and mid-life health issues. 

If passed the bill would – 

• Increase funding for menopause research
• Create Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization for chronic or debilitating conditions related to menopause
• Provide funding for health care provider training 

75 million women in the United States are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause, and 6,000 women reach menopause each day. Despite that, a recent study found that only 30 percent of U.S. residency programs offer formal curriculum on the subject and 80% of OB/GYN residents say they’re not properly prepared to discuss it. 

“Menopause can impact every aspect of a woman’s life – from their career to their relationships—and for too long, it has only been whispered about among our friends and health care providers,” Capito said in a statement.  

“Women have deserved more from our healthcare systems for far too long, but that’s about to change,” Berry added.  

Berry participated in a roundtable discussion with Capito in West Virginia. 

If Capito’s bill is signed into law, it would provide five years of funding to help create more awareness.