All language subtitles for Winfrey.Special.The.Menopause.Revolution.2025.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC5.1-[YTS.MX]

Oprah: Right now,
1 billion women around the world

Downloaded from
YTS.MX

are experiencing menopause.

It comes in the middle
of the night like a ghost.

Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

And it's called perimenopause.

Oprah: Despite its impact
on half the global population,

menopause has remained
a taboo topic.

I don't know why nobody else
be talking about this.

Nobody talks about it,
and they should,

because it lasts 10 years.

Oprah: Women have felt ignored
and invisible

while suffering
from a long list of symptoms.

Anxiety, bloating, constipation,
body odor,

breast soreness, depression.

Just depressed.
Tamsen:
Difficulty concentrating.

Menopause brain or brain fog.

You think you're
losing your mind.

Tamsen: Hair loss.
Here's the hair
I lost in the shower.

Tamsen: Heart palpitations,
hot flashes.

And these boys that are my age,

honey, they've laid in the bed
next to a woman and thought,

"Is that steam
coming off of her?"

It's hot.

Tamsen: Irregular periods,
irritability,

itchy skin, libido changes,
memory lapses,

mood swings, pain during sex,
sleeplessness.

I couldn't sleep.
Forget sleep.

Tamsen: Weight gain,
vaginal dryness.

Everything is as dry
as the desert.

Oprah: Tonight, a frank, honest,

and sometimes shocking
exploration

on a misunderstood health issue
that impacts all of us.

I had no estrogen,
no progesterone,

and no testosterone.

And that makes you real bitter
and angry.

The mood swings and not wanting
to, you know, be intimate.

Did I mention that I'm hot?

Welcome to
"The Menopause Revolution"!

[ Cheers and applause ]

And I say revolution
and also liberation,

because for generation
after generation,

the word "menopause"
was barely even whispered.

But I know you all can feel that
there is a radical shift, right?

There's something happening
around menopause,

and that is why we are here.

If you live long enough,
menopause is coming for you.

[ Laughter ]

New research says
that even women as young as 35

can start showing symptoms
of perimenopause.

So instead of suffering
in silence

or wrapping it in shame
about getting older,

we can stop the stereotypes

and we can change
this conversation

around mental health,
around sleep,

around weight loss or gain

or losing your hair, sex drive,
your brain, and longevity.

So much has changed
for the better.

You can make a vibrant,
healthy, exciting life.

You can have that in menopause.

I know this to be true.

And I remember when I was 48 --

I was around 48 when I started
getting heart palpitations.

And for two years straight,
y'all, I did not sleep.

I went to five different doctors
in Chicago.

I found a cardiologist,

and she gave me an angiogram
and put me on heart medication

that I knew the next day
was not working for me.

So I ended up wearing
a heart monitor for weeks,

and never once, not one time,

did a doctor ever mention
to my 48-year-old self

that this could be perimenopause
or menopause.

So every night
for a solid two years

with just horrible
heart palpitations.

I thought I was going to die.
I didn't.

[ Light laughter ]

One day at the office,
I picked up a book,

and the pages opened to,

"Palpitations,
your heart's wake-up call."

And that was the first time
that I learned

that those were symptoms
that the change was coming.

Now, we just saw clips
of comedian Leanne Morgan,

who is one of the funniest
people on this planet,

from her hilarious Netflix
special, "I'm Every Woman."

[ Cheers and applause ]

I love the fact that
you've been able to help us

laugh so much
around this subject

that is really serious
for a lot of us.

You were affected, too.
How?

Um, probably
in my late 40s,

I started having
the heart palpitations

and could not sleep,

and I thought something was
really bad wrong with me.

And I went to my precious
doctor, and I loved him.

And he was good
for a sinus infection.

But I said, "I'm constipated.
I'm losing my hair.

I can't sleep.
I don't feel good.

I kept putting one foot
in front of the other.

I have no energy."

And he said,
"You're depressed."

And I said,
"Yeah, I think I'm depressed

because I'm constipated,
I'm losing my hair."

And then it was so lucky
that I found --

There was a nurse practitioner
in Knoxville, Tennessee,

where I live, and she said,
"You're in perimenopause.

That's what's wrong
with you."

And I was so thankful
somebody listened to me.

That's the problem.

People can't get people
to listen to them.

Doctor after doctor.

So I have to tell you,

we're so excited
to have my next guest.

because she is an
Academy Award-winning actress.

I was there the historic night
that she won that Oscar.

She's also
a Hollywood sex symbol,

and she decided that
she is going to flip the script

and turn "menopause" from
a dirty word into a flirty word.

Check out Ms. Halle Berry.

An Emmy
and Academy Award winner,

director, producer, activist,
and mother.

I'm here because
I'm standing up for myself,

because I know that when a woman
stands up for herself,

she stands up for all women, and
all women go through menopause.

Oprah: At age 54,
Halle went to see her doctor

after experiencing
extreme pain after sex.

I had razor blades in my vagina
after a great night of sex,

and I went to the doctor,
and he told me,

"Oh, this looks like the worst
case of herpes I've ever seen."

And I thought, "Hold it.
What?"

Oprah: After testing negative
for the disease,

she discovered her symptoms
were actually a sign

of perimenopause.

This lit a fire inside Halle.

I'm in menopause!
Okay?!

Oprah:
She's been to Capitol Hill,

advocating for more research
and education.

It's a privilege to age,
and we should see it that way.

We should feel like
the crown jewels of our society.

I love that term --
crown jewel.

Welcome, Halle Berry!

[ Cheers and applause ]

Oh, good to see you.

So, you know
our mothers' generation

and the countless women
before them...

Yes.

...they just buckled down
and they took it.

And you could have
just kept it to yourself

and been like every other star
and avoided any talk about it.

But you didn't.

[ Hoarsely ] I think it was --
And I've got a bad voice.

I'm so sorry.

I think it was because
I was so shocked

when I found out that
my symptoms were perimenopause.

I was alone.
I was afraid.

I thought
I was going crazy.

And I thought, my God,
if I felt like this,

I can imagine that millions
of other women felt this way,

and I was compelled
to do something,

and this felt like a moment
to stand up, use my platform,

use my voice for something
that really matters

and make sure
my daughter arrives

at a better place
than I did.

And I think because,
you know --

You know you're
a sex symbol, right?

I'm not telling you something
you don't know.

I think it's because
you are Halle Berry

and the fact that you are
willing to say it out loud

has really changed it
from being a taboo word,

a whispered word
to something that's flirty.
Yeah.

I mean, 'cause Halle Berry
has it, I want it.

Right?
Right.

And I want to know, though,
when you went to the doctor

and the doctor said
that this was

the worst case of herpes
he'd ever seen,

did you go home and say to
your partner, "What the hell?"

Oh, no, Van was in the car
in the parking lot.

I went out to the car and I was
like, "So, you got herpes?"

He was like, "No."

I said, "Well, let me be
the first to tell you.

You have herpes,

'cause my doctor just told me
I had herpes."

So then he got tested.
He got tested.

He didn't have herpes.

And I thought,
"Oh, wow.

Then I guess
I have herpes."

So then I get a call
two hours after his call,

and I didn't have herpes,
either.

And I -- This was
my aha moment.

I thought of you, honestly,
'cause anytime somebody says

"aha moment,"
who do we think of?

Oprah.
Okay.

And I said, "Okay, Doctor,
if it's not herpes,

then what is it?"

And he said,
"I don't know."

Wow.
And that wasn't good enough.

Okay, and I heard, too,

that one doctor wouldn't
even use the word "menopause."

Yeah, yeah,
that was my eye doctor.
Yeah.

My -- My -- My glands
were drying up in my eyes.

Which is another symptom.

Everything gets dry --
dry eyes, dry mouth.

I have dry mouth,
too, right?

I said, "And why?"

And he said, "Well, I mean,
you know, just --"

I said, "Why?"
He couldn't say it.

And I said, "Doctor, is it
because I'm in menopause

or perimenopause?"

And he said, "Yes, yes!

But I couldn't say that
to Halle Berry.

Look at you. I can't tell you
you're in menopause."

Wow.
I said, "If you can't even
say the word,

how can you treat me?

How can you give me
the care I need

when you're too afraid
to say the word?"

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Right?

So last year,
you joined forces

with U.S. senator
Patty Murray.

Yes.
Right?

That was to create
a standalone bill

that all the funds
go to menopause research

and clinical trials.

Because why?
Nobody believes it's a thing.

Nobody has believed
that it's worth studying.

All the politicians
on our federal level

just have felt like,

"Oh, it's just a time of life
you just have to go through."

Yeah, and now you've launched
your own platform.

Yes, I have -- Respin.
Yes. Respin.

Yeah, we're re-spinning what
we knew about menopause.

And it's a platform
that's the three C's --

care, content,
and conversation, right?

So it's about having
a community.

That's the conversation.

'Cause I know
that women do better

when we have other women
to talk to.

That's right.
Just talking to you here,

having this conversation,

we're all going to leave here
feeling better, more informed.

What has been the thing that
actually has surprised you most

about this phase
in your life?

I think that nobody
brought it up to me ever.

I thought
I was going to skip it.

You thought you
were going to skip it?
I thought I was gonna skip it.

I thought I was superwoman
that way.

I thought if I eat right,
I exercise, I don't do drugs.

I thought, "I live healthy.

I'm just going to skip that
whole thing, whatever that is.

That's not happening to me,"
right?

I just --
That's how ignorant I was.

Okay, what age were you when
you first started the symptoms?

How old were you?
Do you remember?

Just after I had
my second child.

I was probably
48 years old.

Okay, 48.
48.

But I didn't find out for sure
until I was 54.

Wow.
And do you find, too --

After I got over all
of the physical symptoms,

something happens to you
emotionally, too,

does it not?
Yeah. Yeah.

For me, I had no concern about
what anybody thought anymore.

And there was a liberation
that came with that, right?
Yeah.

And a liberation when I figured
out that I was in perimenopause

and I knew that I didn't
have to stay stuck

in this very scary, very alone,
rageful place.

Then I felt the power.

I said, "Wow, I feel like I'm
the best me I've ever been."

Yeah,
that's what happens.

Yeah.
That's what's
on the other side.

Halle is staying with us.
We're just getting started.

You may be one of the millions
who follow her on social media.

Ob-gyn Dr. Mary Claire Haver
is here.

And she's the author
of the bestselling book

"The New Menopause."

We'll be right back.
Be right back.

[ Cheers and applause ]

And I said, "I'm in menopause
and I'm old.

And should I just leave?"

And we're both old.

And there's one other line
in the book

which I'll save
for the reader.

Or you can tell it.

"He had gray hairs
on his..."

[ Laughter ]

Dr. Mary Claire Haver
is a board-certified ob-gyn.

Over 6 million of you are
following her on social media,

and she's the author of
the New York Times bestseller

"The New Menopause:
Navigating Your Path

Through Hormonal Change
with Purpose, Power, and Facts."

I love that -- power.

Before we get started,
let's watch a tape

that Dr. Haver did for us

that explains what's going on
inside our bodies.

Watch this.

Dr. Haver: Females are born with
all of their egg supply.

At birth, we have
1 million to 2 million eggs.

By the time we're 30,

we're down to about 10%
of that egg supply.

And by the time we're 40,

we're down to about 3%
of the original egg supply.

We lose those eggs through
the process of ovulation.

About 10,000 eggs die to get
one egg to ovulate each month.

And also we lose from
the aging process, as well.

In a healthy
premenopausal woman,

the menstrual cycle follows
a predictable pattern

driven by four key hormones --

estrogen and progesterone
from the ovaries

and LH and FSH from the brain.

The hypothalamus detects
low estrogen levels

and signals the pituitary gland
to release LH and FSH.

These hormones
stimulate the ovaries

to produce estrogen
and progesterone.

This cycle is repeated
month after month

until we reach perimenopause.

What happens in perimenopause

is we reach a critical
low level of egg supply,

where signals from the brain
no longer work.

There just aren't enough eggs
to respond to those signals.

What used to look like this
every month for six months

now kind of looks haphazard.

Because the ovaries
can't respond,

the brain keeps sending
more and more

and higher and higher signals
to the ovaries

to force the ovulation.

Ovulations are delayed.

The progesterone levels

never quite reach
where they used to be,

and the estrogen levels
fluctuate wildly.

That is why we call
perimenopause the zone of chaos.

Dr. Haver, what you're saying
is that literally

when you stop producing
as many eggs,

that is the onset of...

Perimenopause.
We start out with a lot.

And then we have
this process called atresia,

where it's a survival of the
fittest for the healthiest eggs.

And then we ovulate and we lose
a bunch more in that process.

So perimenopause begins when
we reach critical low threshold.

So the signals
coming from the brain,

the ovaries
become resistant.

So the brain has to really work
harder and harder and harder.

And that's when we see
the mental health challenges,

the cognition changes,

well before
your period stops.
Oh!

Well before.
Mm-hmm.

Okay,
so we heard you explain

why you call perimenopause
the zone of chaos.

And what does that chaos
actually do to our bodies?

So the brain likes
to know what's coming

and in a regular
and orderly fashion.

We work better as humans
that way.

And when the hormones
start fluctuating wildly,

we see neurotransmitters
change,

like dopamine and norepinephrine
and serotonin.

And that's where
we see about a 40% increase

in mental health changes
across the menopause transition,

so through perimenopause,
and we also see the brain fog,

the cognition changes,

and what we're now calling
the new onset of ADHD, as well.

Wow. It affects every cell
in your body.

You list over 60 symptoms
in "The New Menopause."

That's why -- We're not going to
get to all 60 here in this hour.

But I think what's
really important is

for women to -- to know...
Right.

...information is now available.
Is power.

Yes.
And information is power.

Yeah.
Okay.

Is -- Is what happened
to Halle common?

So when I was in residency,
a four-year ob-gyn residency,

we had six hours total

in my entire curriculum
in menopause training.

So it's not the fault
of the individual clinician.

It's not their fault,
but they actually don't know.

I confess, and if any of
my former patients are out here,

I am so sorry,
but I probably --

no, I was a terrible
menopause doctor

for most of my career.

Until you went
through it.

And sadly,
it took me going through it.

Is it true that black women
and women of color

experience perimenopause
earlier?

Yeah, average age
of menopause is 51.

That's for women
who look like me.

For women of color,
it is about 18 months sooner,

and we have about a 10-year
window of what's normal.

Yeah.
But we're not taught that.

Wow.
You know, it was like 51.

And I remember
going through menopause at 48

and thinking, "It's too soon.
I'm too young."

Well, Sara is here.
Yeah.

And I hear that you started
symptoms what, at 39?

And you're 43 now.
Yes.

So I started
experiencing symptoms

like rapid weight gain,
sleepless nights.

And so part of it was
that I couldn't figure out why,

because I'm Hispanic

and basically was
getting misdiagnosed.

So how do we speak up as women
to advocate for ourselves

when we -- there isn't much
research for women like myself?

So educate yourself
as much as possible.

It is six to eight
average visits

before the menopause is actually
diagnosed for most patients

when you look at the data.

So it's not reasonable
to walk into

your amazing
ob-gyn's office

who delivered your babies
and did great care

and expect for them
to have been taught.

I had to step outside of
my training, outside of the box.

So The Menopause Society,
menopause.org,

has a great list
of providers.

There's wonderful new education
community platforms like Respin

that are being formed that
are just going to be sources

for you to advocate,

but you're going to
have to do some legwork

and be the CEO
of your own healthcare.

Yeah,
what'd you want to say?

I think as women,
you know,

we don't think that we have
the right to switch our doctor.

So we stay stuck
and we stay with doctors

and we accept
subpar care.

All of our doctors
should understand

what's going on
with our body,

and when they don't,
we have the right to say,

"Okay, thank you very much,
but I'm going to move on

and find someone who can give me
the care that I deserve."

We have to stand up
for ourselves.

Kamili is here.

I hear you started
an online community

for women of color
in menopause.

What's your experience?

Yeah, so I'm 51 now,

and I started experiencing
my first symptoms around 43.

And I'm actually having a hot
flash right now in real time.

And I was pretty frustrated

'cause I'd had a decades-long
relationship with an ob-gyn,

and I had never, ever heard
the word "perimenopause."

So, in true Gen X fashion,
sent me to Google.

And I wasn't seeing any images
or stories that looked like me.

So to your point around

how women of color experience
menopause differently,

it's been eight years
that I've been in perimenopause.

Longer sufferings.
Yeah, you suffer longer.

Yeah, hot flashes,
night sweats, brain fog, rage,

which was pretty bad.

And I wanted to help
other women.

And so I started blogging
about my experience

and really emphasize
the stories and experiences

of women of color who are going
through menopause transition.

Oprah: Thank you.
Thank you, Kamili.

So let's talk about
all the confusion

around hormone replacement
therapy, or HRT.

The Women's Health Initiative

conducted a landmark clinical
trial of estrogen and progestin,

also called HRT.

In 2002, researchers
held a press conference

to announce they were halting
the study

because they believed
hormone therapy

could increase a woman's chances
of getting breast cancer,

as well as cardiac events,
strokes, and clots.

We got a 26% increase
in breast cancer,

and that's why
we stopped the trial.

Oprah: The 26% increase
in breast cancer risk

was misleading,

creating confusing headlines,

leaving doctors uninformed
and panicking their patients.

Rates of women taking HRT
plummeted.

The increased risk
of breast cancer from the study

was overblown
and turned out to actually be

less than a tenth of 1%
per year,

a very slight risk.

In a years-long follow-up study
published in 2024,

The Journal of the American
Medical Association found

that HRT is effective

for treating moderate to severe
menopausal symptoms.

The findings support that
the benefits of the drugs

outweigh the risks for most
women under the age of 60.

So the bottom line is,
the study happened.

They talked about
the risk.

They underemphasized the
safety, overemphasized the risk,

made this big,
splashy news story.

And then
when they walked it back,

nobody actually paid attention
to that.

Yes, so now the message
everybody has gotten is --

It still has.
Somehow HRT,

the natural estrogen
that your ovaries made,

is somehow going to try
to kill you.

Yeah.
And it turns out
it's not true.

It's incredibly
protective

of multiple organ systems
in the body.

But is estrogen safe
for every woman?

The vast majority of women,
it is safe.

Yeah,
but I think every woman

needs to do your own research
for yourself.

Okay,
when we come back,

we have superstar actress,
the daring Naomi Watts,

whose menopause symptoms started
when she was 36,

right when she wanted
to start a family.

We'll be right back.

But my husband and I met,
and I was so cute.

And I was little.
I had on little britches.

And my thyroid was functioning,
and I felt good.

And he was so enthralled with me
and so in love with me

and pursued me
and bought me presents

and -- and vacuumed out my car

and did all kinds of things
for me.

And we celebrated our 30th
wedding anniversary this year.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Thank y'all.

Thank y'all.

And now I truly believe

he would not pull me
out of a burning vehicle.

[ Laughter ]

[ Applause ]

That's Leanne Morgan

from her hilarious special,
"I'm Every Woman."

Leanne, I hear Dr. Haver
actually helped you

improve intimacy
with Chuck, your husband.

Leanne:
Yes. That little thing,

I bet she's going to regret
that I have her phone number,

because I'll say,
"What about testosterone?

Do you think I ought
to get a pellet?"

'Cause all these women
are on pellets,

and then they wear
their little husbands out.

[ Laughter ]

And I know women
that are on testosterone pellets

and they're on fire,

and then their little husbands
look weak and pitiful.

So if you go
to your doctor,

how do you know
if you need testosterone?

So we recommend testosterone
for the treatment

of hypoactive
sexual desire disorder,

or what a layperson
would call low libido.

Okay.
If you want to do it more.

If you want to want
to do it more.

If you want to want to do it
more, you need testosterone.

It's helpful.
Okay.

Alright.
Testosterone.

Very good.
Thank you, Leanne.

The lovely and talented
Naomi Watts is daring

to share her own menopause
journey with us tonight.

Watch this.

No!

I said no!

Naomi Watts has been a star
for more than two decades.

She's a Golden Globe, Emmy,
and two-time Oscar nominee.

It is no surprise this fierce
mother shines in her latest role

as a pioneer in the movement

to help demystify the stigma
of menopause.

In her widely anticipated
new book,

"Dare I Say It: Everything I
Wish I'd Known About Menopause,"

Naomi writes about
the confusion she felt

at the onset
of menopause symptoms.

Let's share the wisdom
and let's share the conversation

and throw the ladders
down to the younger generation

so they can be better equipped.

[ Applause ]

Welcome, Naomi Watts.

Your book "Dare I Say It:

Everything I Wish I'd Known
About Menopause" --

New York Times best seller.

Congratulations to you.
Thank you.

You posted this...

Yeah, yeah.
Wow.

What was
your experience?

Well, at 36,

when I was trying to start a
family and not getting pregnant,

I asked my doctor
what was going on.

He took some blood work,
and the results came back

and suggested that I was
"close to menopause."

And, of course,
I was shocked.

You actually -- You wrote in,
"Dare I Say It,"

you wrote you were
more than shocked.

You cried.
You felt shame.
Yes.

You felt all these --
I was filled with panic

and loneliness
and shame,

and, you know,
and I called my mom.

That was the first call
straightaway.

I said,
"Why didn't you tell me more?"

And she said, "Well,
these are the conversations

I never had with you because my
mother never had them with me."

Mm-hmm, and you actually wrote
a chapter on shame

because you said you grappled
with, you know, self-worth.

Why did you think
menopause

affected your sense
of self-worth?

Well, because it's this
branding that it's all over...

Oh, okay.
...that once your reproductive,
you know, organs

are no longer in use or working
in the way that they started to,

that -- that's it.

That is the end.

Go to the corner,
pull out the knitting needles.

That you're not really --
[ Laughter ]

Yeah, pull them out.
Yeah, and rock the chair.

Yes.
You know, like,
no, thank you.

Your husband is
a Emmy-winning actor.

And in the book,
you share a story

about the first time you all
were gonna go to bed together.

And you shared it in the book,
so share it with us here,

if you don't mind.

Poor Billy.

Yes, it was a moment.

I was -- We were getting down
to business,

and I had to
excuse myself.

I remembered
that I had my estrogen patch on,

and if anyone has worn one
or knows anything about them,

they leave a very sticky,
nasty mess, and --

Where do you wear them?
Right here, in the groin.

Right where you're going to --
Oh. Okay, okay.

You can't miss it.

So I slip out and say,
"Just excuse me for a second,"

to, you know, get it off.
You're gonna
pull the patch off.

Why did you want
to pull the patch off?

Because I didn't want it
to be seen.

Because that would announce
the fact that I was in menopause

and thinking,
this is going to be so unsexy

and turn him off
in a second.

Yeah, 'cause he's got to say,
"Excuse me.

What's that patch?"
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And, you know, who knows
what he knew about menopause?

So I slipped away,
came out sort of frantic

after having scratched
and scratched

and left a horrible red,
nasty mark.

So I came out,
and he saw that I was flustered.

and he said,
"Are you okay?

Are you not in the mood?"
And I said, "No, no.

It's just, well, you know, I --
God, menopause.

I'm in menopause,
I'm getting treatment.

I have to wear
these patches."

And I said, "I'm in menopause
and I'm old,

and should I just leave?

'Cause you probably
don't want me."

You know, like, who knows
what they're thinking?

And he was like, "Hey,

this is -- this is good news
that you're getting treatment.

Thank you for telling me.

And, by the way,
we're both old."

And there's one other line
in the book

which I'll save
for the reader.

Or you can tell it.
[ Laughs ]

He had gray hairs
on his...

[ Laughter, applause ]

He said it.
He said --

Billy, forgive me.
It's in the book.

He said,
"I have gray hairs on my..."

And you said...

"That is the most romantic thing
I've ever heard."

I know!
"And thank you

for your compassion
and empathy."

And that was
the beginning.

And, you know, seven years
later, we're married.

I think that that is
the beginning of true intimacy.

That's it.
Yes, yes.

It really is.
Yes, yes.

So you also created something
called Stripes Beauty.

Yeah.
Tell us what that is.

I called it Stripes

because we've earned
our stripes, ladies.

We should feel good about
ourselves at this point in time.

We provide education,
community.

We've got hair products,
body products, vaginal products.

Everything you need.
Yes, all that you need.

Okay.
Did you all know this?

Two out of three Alzheimer's
patients are women.

That's a sobering statistic.

Think about that --
two out of three.

Is menopause connected
to our brain health?

We talk about that next
with Maria Shriver.

Oprah: Dr. Pelin Batur is a top
women's health specialist...

Nice to see you.
You too.

...at the Cleveland Clinic.

Talk to me.
How can I help?

Uh, about a year ago,

I started experiencing
hot flashes, fatigue.

Everything just hurts
all the time.

Dr. Batur: There are 6,000 women

going into menopause
each day in the United States.

That equals about
63 million women in the U.S.

Oprah: In response
to this overwhelming demand,

Cleveland Clinic launched

the Women's Comprehensive
Health and Research Center,

an innovative
and holistic program

that reimagines
healthcare for women.

Menopause impacts
so many cells in our body,

and everybody's experience
is so unique,

so people are really
at a loss for who to go to.

About half of American women

are not happy with
their sex life in some regard,

so please speak up.

There are vaginal hormones
available,

including a vaginal ring,
for example,

that you leave in
for three months.

Just gives a tiny dose
of estrogen.

We have non-hormonal
treatment options, too.

We have a daily medication
that can be taken.

We have injectables
that can be used.

Oprah: The center's chief
visionary and strategic adviser

is women's health and
Alzheimer's prevention advocate

Maria Shriver.

Shriver: You must be determined
when it comes to your health.

You must be a fighter.

You must fight
for what you deserve,

and you must see yourself as a
loyal partner with your doctor.

Maria Shriver is here,
my friend.

And I'm so proud of you,

because you helped
co-found that whole clinic.

I know you work for years
to make that happen.

Yeah,
that's a revolutionary center.

And I'm hopeful
that these kind of centers

will begin popping up
all across this country,

because we need to be
revolutionaries

when it comes to women's health
in general

at every decade
of our lives.

Absolutely. You know, Maria and
I have been saying for years,

you cannot outrun, outfox,

out-yoga, out-meditate
menopause.

It's coming for you
no matter what.

So what do you want to say
about this moment now

for women in menopause?

Well, I want to say to women,
first of all,

that it's a blessing,
because it means

you've lived long enough
to actually go through it.

Can we just
emphasize that more?

Because I think
when women deny their age

and lie about their age
and --

you are denying time
spent here on Earth

and everything
that you've learned

and everything
that you've gained.

Well,
it's understandable,

'cause we need a radical
reshift about women's aging.

Yes.
Right? In this culture,

because women
aren't valued.

They aren't seen.
They feel invisible.

They feel that when it comes
to their healthcare.

Yeah.
And this is a moment
not just for menopause.

That's great,
but it's for Alzheimer's.

It's for osteoporosis,
for endometriosis.

It's for aging.

It's for all
of these diseases

that disproportionately
impact women.

I love what Halle
was saying earlier, too,

about this will be a different
story for her daughter.

She knew
absolutely nothing,

but it will be a different story
for her daughter.

I know you have two beautiful
daughters, now in their 30s.

Yes.
Are you all having conversations
about it already?

They're like,
"Stop, please.

Could you please stop?"

I'm talking to my sons.

And they're like, "I don't want
to know any of this."

I said, "Yes, you do."
And to my brothers.

I talk about it
to everybody,

because my mother never said
a word to me about anything.

What we're now finding out
is that women

didn't connect the dots between
their brain and their vagina.

No, we didn't.
They did not.

And people don't
make the connection

between their brain
and their body at all.

And that is my work.

So when I discovered
that women

were at the front and center
of Alzheimer's,

I started the Women's
Alzheimer's Movement

to fund research
into women's brains,

because nobody was looking
at women's brains.

They thought Alzheimer's was
something that just happened.

So we have funded research
to be able to view

what actually happens,
how it changes,

starting at perimenopause
through menopause.

We can now see that.

Thank you.
Thank you.

Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl
is a neurologist

for the UCLA Comprehensive
Menopause Care Program.

Welcome, Doctor.

What happens in our brains
during menopause?

So our brains are affected
by the loss of estrogen.

Just like loss of estrogen's
bad for skin, bone, vagina,

lo and behold,
it's bad for the brain.

And by that,
we hear about brain fog.

Those are
the clinical symptoms.

They include not being able
to think of a word.

They include losing
train of thought.

There are these very discrete
problems that occur.

and they undermine
confidence.

Women get to this certain stage
in their life.

They're 50, they're
at the top of the careers,

and then they're undercut
with confidence

because they have
these focal problems.

What it's not
is it's not decreased IQ.

The women are just as smart
as they ever were.

It's also not just
because they're not sleeping.

I agree, sleep is very good
for cognition.

Not having it is bad.
But it's more than that.

Why is it more than that?

Because we see it
on neuroimaging.

There are structural and
functional changes in the brain

that occur with menopause.

So women who have been
in menopause

for longer periods of time,
over 10 years,

versus shorter periods
of time, less than five years,

they have atrophy
in areas of the brain.

Bottom line is, atrophy
of areas of the brain

are more when they've
gone through menopause

for a long period of time.
Wow.

Now, what it's not --
it's not whole-brain atrophy.

It's not global anything.

And that's why
it's all been missed,

because it's cognitive
domain-specific problems

and it's regional
brain problems.

And this
needs to be fixed.

Okay, and you say it's crucial
to seek menopause treatment

after the first hot flash
or first symptom of menopause.

Right?
Absolutely correct.

As is the case with
any neurodegenerative disease,

as a neurologist, I can tell you
it's very difficult

to let things happen
and try to repair them.

You've got to go in early, and
perimenopause is a good point.

Okay.
Shriver: Yeah,
the other thing that I think

is something
we should talk about

is that at the same time

that women are going through
perimenopause,

they're dealing with
a lot of other things

that are on their plate.

They're caregiving
for parents.

They're raising children.
They're working full time.

And so they may mistake
what they're going through

in their life
for depression.

And so doctors need to begin
to ask them questions.

Is it perimenopause?
Is it menopause?

What is actually going on
that you're dealing with?

Listen to this -- According to
a Mayo Clinic study,

menopause costs American women

almost $2 billion
in lost working time a year.

Keta is here.

What's your question
for Dr. Voskuhl?

Well, I've been
a litigation attorney for years.

And, of course,
in that role,

I have to be able
to think on my feet

during arbitrations
and trials.

But I started
experiencing symptoms

that included brain fog, lowered
ability to tolerate stress,

and that's devastating
for a litigation attorney.

My question for you --

Will I ever get back
to where I was before

when this is over,
perimenopause, when it's over?

Well, thank you
for the question.

I see so many women
like you.

They're lawyers.
They're teachers.

They basically
have to be able to speak.

They can't lose
their train of thought

in the middle of a sentence,
and will it get better?

I'll tell you, the hot flashes
will go away

in three to five years.

But these cognitive changes,
these structural changes

in the brains
don't suddenly get better.

So what can be done is to,
first of all, get on it early.

But the second thing is
the cognitive exercise

and the physical exercise
is very important.

I will say, though,
as Oprah said,

we can't exercise our way
out of this.

They say, "Oh,
just go exercise more."

It's like, whoa,
this is a serious problem.

I do think it needs a drug.

And I think for those who
can take HRT, we need that help.

You need both.

You need the hormone
and you need the exercise.

Okay, and I heard, too,
that 73% of women

blame menopause
for their divorce.

That is a lot.

54-year-old Lynn
is in our audience

and says that this
is her story.

Lynn?
Yes.

Menopause was a very
difficult time for me,

and my mental health
really --

I struggled with my
mental health during menopause.

My lows
were very, very low.

Meaning you were
depressed.

I was very depressed.
I went through lots of rage.

It roller-coaster'd.
Lots of rage.

So one minute
I would be rage crying,

yelling at my husband
that he didn't understand.

My male gynecologist
was really dismissive.

The only thing that he told me
about menopause

was when I talked with him
about sex hurting

was that I should use
a lubricant.

And that was the extent
of our menopause discussion.

I ultimately
got suicidal.

Really?
And for the first -- Yeah.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

And, gratefully,
I found my way through that,

and I switched doctors,

and the female gynecologist
that I went to,

she spent an hour and a half
with me at my visit.

What do you want to say to women
like Lynn, Dr. Haver?

This is
such a common story.

We see a 40% increase
in mental health disorders.

And, you know, for me
and for many of my patients,

menopause has become
a necessary time

to circle the wagons
around yourself.

For the first time, you have to
put yourself first...

Yeah.
...or you're not
going to survive.

And maybe that means
leaving a relationship

that wasn't serving you.

And I'm sorry
that it took so long

for you to find the right help
that you needed.

But you sitting here looking
so vibrant and beautiful

and brave to share your story
is everything,

because there are women right
now, tonight, listening to you,

and it is resonating
with them.

And you're going to
give them hope,

because they're not alone.

And -- And it's just everything.
So thank you.

Yeah.
Thank you.

I think
that's why this --

Thank you, ABC, for allowing
the show on the air,

because I think it's
so important --

you all can even see
sitting here in this audience --

to educate yourself

so that when you or somebody
you know is going through it,

you don't think that,
"I need to kill myself over it."

You realize that you
just need to get information

and get yourself
to the right doctor.

We're so glad
that you held on.

Yeah, me too.

You kept going.
Thank you.

♪♪

This is what we talk about
all the time -- the thermostat.

[ Laughter ]

And I'll just be honest
with you.

We fight.
We fight about it.

Well, I say that.
I beat him down.

I beat him down.

But I want to keep it on 68

because I want to live
through the night.

He wants to put it back up
in the 70s.

And I know he's cold
and I feel terrible over it.

I know he's cold,
and I have that on 68.

I have a fan coming this way and
I have a fan coming that way.

And he's just -- His hair
is just blowing in the wind.

[ Laughter ]

Every woman.

[ Applause ]

"I'm Every Woman."
That's Leanne Morgan.

Two fans, we all need them,
don't we?

Thank you, Leanne.
Thank you.

Naomi, I'm going to let you
have a last word.

I would say
to the younger generation,

you do not
have to fear it.

We are the last generation that
has had to suffer in silence

and flail
our way through.

They can feel empowered.

And in the book,
I say the five T's.

So watch the timelines.

Don't fear them.
Just pay attention to them.

Be tender with yourself
and others.

Find good teachers,
people you trust,

whether that's a doctor
or a mentor of some kind.

Or us. Yeah.
Or us, yes.

And find your tribe.

We are nothing without
the strength of community.

And then lastly, truth.

Expect truth from others and
yourself and just share that.

Thank you, thank you.

Alright,
Ms. Halle Berry.

I would like everybody to leave
here with an action item,

because I think part
of dealing with menopause

is we have to change culture,
right?

We have to
destigmatize it.

And so I think
a really good way

that we can all take
from this moment,

you know how we all
have baby showers,

we have wedding showers,

we have bar mitzvahs,
bat mitzvahs,

bachelorette parties,
sweet 16s?

Imagine a world
that when a woman realized

she was in the menopause,
365 days of that period gone,

your family was responsible
for throwing you a she-esta.

[ Cheers and applause ]

I love it.

So that gives you something
to look forward to

where you are celebrated
in a big way, small way,

whatever your family
thinks would be perfect for you.

But you get a she-esta.

And I think if your family
doesn't want to do it,

she-esta your damn self.

Okay?

[ Cheers and applause ]

I love that.

There's so much more
to talk about on menopause.

If you or someone you know
is going through it

or will be going through it,
that means all you men, also --

Thank you for the men
in our audience.

I can -- I can see y'all
are learning a lot.

Come on over
to "The Oprah Podcast."

We have some in-depth episodes
on menopause coming up.

But I thank all of my guests
today,

and thank you
for being such a great audience

and all of you watching
who joined us

for this revolutionary
conversation.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Go well, everybody.