First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry got to see firsthand Thursday how researchers on the University of Illinois Chicago campus use wearable technology to better understand hot flashes associated with menopause.
“Every woman will be effected by menopause yet there is a stunning lack of information on how to manage and treat its symptoms,” the first lady said.
Berry’s experience with menopause led the actress to take action.
“I am no different than any of other woman right now who reaches their menopausal years and perimenopausal years and felt like, ‘What the heck is happening to me?” she said.
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That’s why she became a women’s health advocate, teaming up with the first lady for a White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, including menopause, which was first announced in Nov. 2023.
“I think money needs to be raised and allocated so that doctors can be reschooled and we can have experts so, so that every woman has the opportunity to get quality premium care and not just told you have to white knuckle it,” Berry said.
One of the reasons for the visit to the UIC campus is because of groundbreaking research underway that has to do with menopause and the brain.
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“My graduate research so far has shown that levels of estrogen experienced in postmenopausal women can effect these memory networks in the brain,” said Rachel Schroeder, a UIC graduate student.
Dr. Pauline Maki, Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Obstetrics & Gynecology at UIC, is leading the research.
“Half of the population goes through this. Shouldn’t we have a firm scientific understanding of what happens to women’s bodies, what happens to their brains?” Maki said, during a roundtable discussion.
Also included in the discussion and tour of the research laboratory were several elected officials, including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Reps. Lauren Underwood (D-14) and Robin Kelly (D-2).
Studies underway now including examining how hot flashes impact sleep. This is the kind of research that will continue, now with White House support.
“This initiative will transform women’s health research and what that means is we will transform women’s lives,” Maki said.
