Menopause care is lacking, leading to delays in care experts say
Dr. Stephanie Faubion of the Menopause Society says medical schools need better menopause training to prevent misdiagnosis and improve patient care.
Naomi Watts knew about hot flashes and mood swings and even came to know about frozen shoulder and joint pain as she went through perimenopause and then menopause.
But there was one symptom she ignored for years because she didn’t know it was part of this change: Dry eyes.
Now the actress, who is known for her menopause advocacy, is urging women to talk to their doctors and advocate for themselves.
Watts, 57, is the co-founder of Stripes, a menopause wellness and beauty brand. She shared personal stories and talked with doctors and experts in her 2025 book “Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I Knew About Menopause.” Now she’s partnering with Johnson & Johnson to raise awareness about the importance of eye health for women in midlife.
“All I knew about menopause was what you would see on TV or in movies or in books was women go crazy and the hot flashes and mood swings,” Watts told USA TODAY. “But it’s obviously much more in depth and complex like that. It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom if you have the education.”
Watts began menopause shortly after the birth of her second child.
She understood that the lack of estrogen affected her skin, hair and joints. But she hadn’t thought about her eyes.
Menopause can cause blurry vision and dry and tired eyes, says Charissa Lee, an optometrist who heads professional affairs for vision for Johnson & Johnson. Lee notes that menopause is a time when many women notice a need for reading glasses.
Women often forget to alert their dentist or eye doctor when they begin perimenopause or menopause. They don’t realize the way menopause can impact every part of your body.
“Getting your eye exam is probably one of the easiest steps in this journey,” Lee says.
Watts says many women are reluctant to bring up menopause symptoms with their doctors because “they doubt you, making you feel like you’re whining.”
She says her friends have told her that they talked to their doctor about menopause symptoms and were offered antidepressants or sleeping pills, instead of looking at the potential for hormone replacement therapy.
More than a third of women going through menopause or perimenopause are prescribed Zoloft, Prozac, Wellbutrin or other common antidepressants. Their use among women doubles during these years. More women’s health experts now say the vast majority never needed them. The antidepressants treat their symptoms, rather than the cause, and could make things worse.
There are more than 100 symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause, and women are unfamiliar with their connection and often fail to mention them to their doctors.
It can be frustrating and isolating, Watts says.
She recommends bringing a list of symptoms to appointments.
She wants women to know they’re not alone going through menopause and perimenopause. “We think we are the only one experiencing these,” she says. “But we often have very easy solutions to some of these symptoms.”
Laura Trujillo is a national columnist focusing on health and wellness. She is the author of “Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter’s Search for Truth and Renewal,” and can be reached at [email protected].
