Shannon Watts
A few months after my last period at age 49, I made an appointment with my doctor to talk about all of the new weird symptoms I was experiencing: sleeplessness, brain fog, headaches, dry skin, hot flashes, and bursts of anger so intense that I fantasized about cutting our living room couch in half with a chainsaw.
As my doctor reviewed my blood panel, she informed me that my hormones indicated I was officially in menopause. And then she asked me, “Is that ok with you?”
This seemed like an odd question. Mainly because I wasn’t sure what my options were if I wasn’t “ok” with being menopausal, but also because she wasn’t offering any solutions to the symptoms I was experiencing. “What about hormone replacement therapy?” I asked. My doctor’s face contorted as though I’d asked her if I should take up smoking.
That's when I realized that just like women become advocates and demand change on a whole host of issues, we must also demand access to menopause care. ALL women deserve information about their options – including the risks and benefits – along with a variety of treatment options, and the autonomy to decide how they want to proceed.
About Shannon Watts
Known as the “summoner of women’s audacity,” Shannon Watts organizes and mobilizes women to create political, electoral and cultural change. She was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, a Forbes50 over 50 Changemaker, a Glamour Woman of the Year, a WORTH Magazine Worth 100 and a 2025 Parents Next Gen Award winner. She’s the founder of Moms Demand Action, the largest grassroots group fighting gun violence in the U.S.
During the 2024 election, she organized the largest Zoom gathering in history, mobilizing over 200,000 voters and raising over $11 million in support of the Kamala Harris campaign, and co-hosted the weekly Women Wednesdays for Harris calls with Indivisible.
Her most recent book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, was an instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller and led to the creation of Firestarter University and Bonfire communities, online and in-person gatherings to help women tap into their political, professional and personal power.
Events During Perimenopause Awareness Month
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The Perimenopause Wake-Up Call: How to Rise, Roar and Rewrite Midlife
Thursday September 18th 8am EST