Actress Halle Berry is part of a new wave of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond who are speaking out about menopause to bring the issue out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

In May, Berry, a 58-year-old mother of two, stood outside the U.S. Capitol and screamed, “I’m going through menopause.”

On Thursday, Berry joined nearly two dozen other women live on Good Morning America to discuss menopause.

“How do we fix it?” Berry asked of menopause, the end of a woman’s reproductive years. “We say more. We say, ‘I’m in menopause,’ that’s OK.”

“It’s a normal part of life. This is what we’re going through. It’s not an illness. Don’t make it negative,” she continued. “Let’s talk about it and find out what we can do.”

Although menopause is a natural process that affects millions of women each year, the subject was considered taboo for years and research into it was chronically underfunded.

Berry said she wants women to be “fearless” about menopause, a realization she came to four years ago after she said she was mistakenly diagnosed with herpes when she was actually in perimenopause.

“I was 54 years old, 54, and no doctor dared to talk to me about it. It was like it would never happen to me,” Berry said, adding that she believes her doctor, like others, was not sufficiently informed about menopause.

“That made me so upset,” Berry said. “I thought, wow… I have one of the best doctors in all of California, and he didn’t really understand what that was. That’s when I realized there must be millions of women who don’t understand this.”

Below you will find answers to 10 frequently asked questions about menopause.

1. What is menopause?

According to the U.S. Centers for Women’s Health, menopause is the point in a woman’s life when she has not had a menstrual period, including bleeding or spotting, for 12 months.

It occurs when the ovaries naturally stop producing estrogen and progesterone, resulting in a permanent end to a woman’s menstrual cycle.

2. At what age does menopause begin in most women?

According to the American Office on Women’s Health, the average age for menopause, i.e. the permanent cessation of periods, is 52 years.

Menopause may begin earlier in women if they have never been pregnant, if they smoke, or if they have certain health problems, including some autoimmune diseases.

Only about 1% of women in the United States experience premature menopause, which is menopause that occurs before age 40. Data shows that about 5% of women experience early menopause naturally between ages 40 and 45.

3. What are the symptoms of menopause?

Menopause brings with it many symptoms, the type and severity of which can vary from person to person.

According to the Office on Women’s Health, symptoms of menopause can include hot flashes, mood swings, depression and anxiety, sleep problems, urinary incontinence, irregular periods or bleeding, vaginal dryness and infections, and changes in libido.

4. How long does menopause last?

According to the Office on Women’s Health, menopause lasts four years for most women.

5. Do menopausal symptoms persist after menopause?

Yes, after menopause, women may continue to experience symptoms such as vaginal dryness, hot flashes and low hormone levels, according to the Office on Women’s Health.

6. What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause, the time before menopause when the ovaries produce varying amounts of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, can begin as early as age 40 and last up to 10 years or more.

7. What are the symptoms of perimenopause?

Symptoms of perimenopause include mood swings, increased anxiety and depression, changes in sleep, difficulty concentrating, and changes in the frequency and severity of headaches.

Other physical changes may include changes in hair pattern, breast tenderness, weight gain in the midsection, vaginal dryness, changes in bleeding patterns, and changes in libido.

8. Can you still get pregnant during perimenopause?

Yes, women can still become pregnant during perimenopause because the body may continue to ovulate.

9. Is it possible to relieve the symptoms of menopause?

Yes, there are ways to manage the symptoms of menopause, so women are advised to talk openly and honestly with their doctor to find relief.

For some symptoms, your doctor can work with you to find medications that can provide relief. These include hormonal and non-hormonal medicines, as well as over-the-counter products.

Hormone therapy for menopause, also called hormone replacement therapy or hormone therapy, may be an option if your symptoms are severe enough to interfere with your daily life, according to the Office on Women’s Health.

Hormone therapy during menopause can take the form of a pill, a skin patch or, in some cases, a cream.

The Office on Women’s Health recommends using the lowest dose of menopausal hormone therapy for only the shortest period of time necessary.

10. Is there any research to better support menopause?

Menopause and other health issues that affect only women have traditionally lagged far behind in research and understanding. As recently as the 1970s, few women participated in clinical trials, and women’s health needs were considered unimportant. A 2022 study found that women still make up only 29 to 34 percent of early-phase trials due to fertility concerns.

In March, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on women’s health research, specifically focusing on increased research on women’s midlife health and improved treatment of menopause-related issues.

A bill introduced in Congress in May by Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska would provide $125 million in federal funding for clinical trials, public health and medical research on menopause.

The bill is sponsored by 17 senators – three Republicans, 13 Democrats and one independent, all women.