When actress Halle Berry triumphantly declared, “I’m in menopause!”, last year, she unwittingly became the poster child for Gen X women.
Instead of shunning her newly minted status, she’s graciously accepted the new role as the face of menopause. Going against the narrative, Berry took a refreshing approach to her “change of life” and embraced bringing sexy back in her fifties.
The Oscar winner put her whole heart into championing women’s health following her perimenopausal misdiagnosis as herpes. She realized that the condition was under-researched and discredited by many physicians.
Despite her best efforts to break barriers and her advocacy work, women’s health topics, from menstruation to menopause, are still met with silence or shame.
While these conversations are essential, stigma surrounding them has created obstacles to care, left many women misinformed, and in some cases, put lives at risk.
The Cost of Shame and Silence
Ambiguity around women’s health issues has deep and traumatic roots.
Professor Helen Allan from the Royal College of Nursing states that the practice has historically been associated with ideas of “uncleanliness” and humiliation. Services for ailments like endometriosis or menstruation are often underfunded as a result.
This has direct consequences on the quality of care women receive. One clear example is period poverty. According to UN Women, millions of women and girls worldwide cannot afford basic menstrual products. The consequences are dire, leaving them vulnerable to infection, missing school, and social exclusion.
In 2023, nearly 500 million women globally were estimated to be affected. That number represents not only a public health issue, but a human rights one.
Stigma in Healthcare Settings
Silence and bias can sometimes follow women into the doctor’s office. For example, weight stigma during pregnancy can cause severe harm.
The Conversation explains that larger-bodied women are blamed for complications without compassion or proper medical support. These stigmas can increase both maternal and infant risks.
Instead of receiving evidence-based care, many are met with judgment, a reflection of how indignity overrides empathy in clinical practice.
Another layer of silence emerges in conversations around birth control. The rise of misinformation on platforms like TikTok has led to widespread distrust of contraceptives.
Viral claims about IUDs or pills circulate without a scientific basis, leaving many women confused and fearful.
Skepticism is understandable. We can’t blame women who historically haven’t always been told the full truth about side effects; disinformation only deepens the cycle of fear.
When Silence Leads to Legal Battles
Sometimes, the lack of transparency goes beyond misinformation. It results in lawsuits. The ongoing Depo-Provera birth control injection lawsuit is a sobering reminder of what happens when women are not fully informed about the potential risk of brain tumors.
In the Depo-Provera lawsuit, women claimed that serious side effects of the Depo shot were downplayed or inadequately communicated. It led to significant health consequences, including bone density loss.
Citing a study published in the British Medical Journal, TorHoerman Law adds that prolonged Depo-Provera use is associated with a 500% increased risk of developing meningioma brain tumors.
The findings contradict Pfizer’s failure to warn users of the dangers associated with long-term Depo-Provera usage, causing plaintiffs to take legal action.
Indifference in the Workplace
The stigma doesn’t stop at the doctor’s office or clinic. It follows women into their careers.
An analysis of workplace culture in the UK showed that many women still hide period pain, menopause symptoms, or reproductive health issues at work. The reason? The fear of being seen as weak or unprofessional.
The knock-on effects are significant. Women report lost productivity, career setbacks, and even leaving the workforce altogether. The final nail in the coffin is the latest stats from the World Economic Forum. Menopause alone costs the U.S. economy billions annually in lost work time and healthcare expenses.
Flexible working hours, access to healthcare resources, and open dialogue can make all the difference. Thankfully, hundreds of companies are now adopting “menopause-friendly” policies, conceding that inclusivity is both a moral and economic win.
Why Breaking the Cycle Matters
History keeps repeating itself when dealing with reproductive rights and women’s health.
For decades, women had their agency taken from them. From being fed half-truths to being coerced into staying silent, the only thing worse than their embarrassment was their invisibility.
But by having frank and open conversations, we can finally break the cycle and reclaim our dignity.
In the meantime, women like Halle Berry are standing on business and championing causes that demand the world’s attention.
The source of this article is pedrovazpaulo consultant.
