Actress Kim Cattrall is known for her sexy roles on the big screen, and is living proof things can get better with age – even when it comes to menopause. She sat down with Fox News Health’s Julie Banderas to talk about teaming up with Pfizer to encourage women to embrace this chapter of their lives with style.
“I feel very fortunate being involved in a show like Sex in the City because I have a platform to talk about things that are happening to me and that I am really passionate about,” Cattrall said. “And one of those things is menopause.”
While playing the character of Samantha Jones in the Sex in the City series, Cattrall conveyed many different elements of aging, including a hot flash, on screen. To make it as realistic as possible, she talked to her doctor about what happens during a hot flash. So years later when she experienced her own, she had a good idea about what she was in for.
“I remember so clearly getting ready for a date, and suddenly I felt this burning sensation and felt like I was in a vat of boiling water, and slowly but surely saw my face turning bright red. And I thought I guess this is my first hot flash,” she said.
Every day, an estimated 6,000 women in the United States reach menopause, with more than 80 percent of them experiencing hot flashes. Menopausal women may also experience bone loss, which can lead to osteoporosis.
Cattrall said she is encouraging women to define their own “menopause style” at TuneInToMenopause.com. Visitors can take an interactive quiz about their approach to menopause, and information about some of the changes they may experience. For each quiz completed, Pfizer will donate $1 (up to $50,000) to Dress for Success, a not-for-profit organization that helps women get back to work and empowers women within the workforce.
“One size does not fit all in menopause. There is a lot of fear, it’s a very intimate issue, a lot of women don’t want to share it, it’s very uncomfortable, and it was for me to a degree,” she said.
Cattrall said her biggest advice to women starting menopause is to remember they are not alone, and to work with their physician to find out how to manage their menopause symptoms.
“Women are such caregivers. We give so much to our children, our husbands, our job. I mean health for us should be foremost on that list especially at this age so we can continue to have a wonderful life,” she said.
For more information visit TuneIntoMenopause.com
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