Actor Halle Berry partners with UIC researcher Pauline Maki to address menopause 

On Thursday, March 13, actor and women’s health advocate Halle Berry and Pauline Maki, professor of psychiatry, psychology and obstetrics and gynecology at UIC, hosted an event at the University Club of Chicago on the need to advance care, research and policy regarding menopause.

Menopause carries major consequences not only for health care, but also for the economy and workforce, according to Maki and Berry. Globally, more than 1 billion women are in the menopausal transition or postmenopausal stage, with many now spending one-third of their lives postmenopausal, Maki said.

Symptoms — like hot flashes and mood swings — can persist for over a decade, significantly affecting long-term health outcomes for women, including bone, brain and cardiovascular health, Maki said. Notably, 50 percent of Black women experience hot flashes for more than 10 years, she added.

“How many women fall out of the workforce for a day, for a week, for a month, for a year, forever, when they reach this time of their life?” Berry said at the event. “How much money do we cost the health care system because menopausal women don’t have access to care?”

Menopause symptoms can impact brain function, too, another important consideration for research, according to Maki.

“We don’t think those symptoms are just benign,” Maki said. “We have tied them to Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, to apparent brain function, to little stroke-like lesions in the brain, to mood problems, memory problems. Women know this. You don’t need a scientist to tell you this, but we have an imperative to do better for women, don’t we? And we’re going to do that together.” 

Menopause research and care remain underfunded and under-researched and are not a global health priority, according to Maki and Berry. The dearth of health professionals trained in menopause care only exacerbates these shortcomings. With 25% of the U.S. workforce currently in some phase of menopause and $1.8 billion lost annually in productivity, addressing the issue is not just about health — it is an economic imperative, Maki said. 

Berry candidly shared her personal experience of menopause at the event, which brought together state leaders like Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, health providers and fellow advocates.   

“At 54 years old, I got a misdiagnosis of having herpes, but it wasn’t herpes at all. It ended up being a very common symptom of perimenopause,” Berry said. “I don’t blame my doctor because I’ve since learned that only 13% of doctors in this country understand the menopausal body. It’s one chapter in medical school.” 

Berry’s experience spurred her into action.  

“So, when all of these things started happening to me, I thought, I’ve got to do something,” Berry said. “I’ve got to try to use my voice, use my platform. I have to go ask the questions of my politicians, of our leaders, of our health care professionals, of our scientists, of our researchers. … And so that got me on this advocacy mission of realizing that this is my second act, and my second-act mission is to help women.” 

Berry and Maki connected for a similar event at UIC last year that included former First Lady Jill Biden and highlighted the pressing need for research on women’s health.  

Berry also recently launched Respin, a company she created to provide women with reliable, comprehensive information about menopause. Maki serves as medical adviser for Respin Health, a digital health offering for menopause care and symptom relief.   

Maki led three panel discussions at the event on the economic impacts and workforce initiatives surrounding menopause, access to care for menopause and the need for investment in menopause research.

During the event, Stratton announced that Oct. 12-18 will officially be known as Illinois Menopause Awareness Week. World Menopause Day is observed annually Oct. 18 to raise awareness about menopause and the support available to women to improve their health and well-being. 

Maki, who is well-known for her research on menopause and its effect on cognition, also unveiled the Center for Health, Awareness and Research on Menopause (CHARM) at UIC. The center addresses critical gaps in medical training, research and global data by leveraging UIC’s integrated academic health enterprise. 

“What you’re hearing today is the brainchild, the strategic plan of CHARM,” Maki said. “We’re going to make a difference here in Chicagoland, with all of our partners, and we’re going to make a difference in the state of Illinois.”