Naomi Watts joins menopause campaign group ahead of US launch

The menopause campaign group Menopause Mandate is to launch in the US, with award-winning actor Naomi Watts taking on the role of chair.

The group, which brings together women from all walks of life, campaigns for better support for women approaching menopause and perimenopause, including access to treatment, HRT, education and community support.

Similar to its UK counterpart, Menopause Mandate in the US will build on and increase that community, education, and the availability of solutions.

“It’s time for America to start acknowledging menopause,” said Naomi Watts, who will take on the role of chair.

“Like millions of women, I knew very little about menopause until it happened.

“My symptoms started in my late thirties, then after my second baby, aged just 40, I plunged into a world of catastrophic night sweats, insomnia, and itchy skin. I felt lonely, uninformed, undesirable and also physically terrible.

“It is unfathomable that menopause isn’t spoken about enough, and that we aren’t automatically educated about a change which all women will go through.

“We need to stop whispering and start shouting. We need to be inspiring, enlightening and positive, and that’s what Menopause Mandate is here to do.”

 

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UK chair of Menopause Mandate, Mariella Frostrup, said: “We are thrilled to be joined by such an inspiring, pioneering and downright fabulous woman, and I can’t wait to work together to support women in the US as well as the UK.”

Last year, Menopause Mandate UK had its inaugural gathering at the Houses of Parliament. Since then, the group has gained thousands of supporters, launched a hotline, published a book and held a rally to change the conversation around menopause.

“I don’t think any of us anticipated quite how much we’d achieve, or how dedicated to the cause we’d still be a year on,” Frostrup said on the day the group marked its one-year anniversary.

“Perhaps most importantly, [I don’t think any of us anticipated] how many women and men would join us in calling for menopause to be more widely acknowledged and supported.”

Labour MP, Carolyn Harris, said she felt a real sense of pride at how far the group had come.

“We are seeing real progress but there is still a lot more to do. I am excited to see what we will be celebrating this time next year.”