Naomi Watts On Normalizing Menopause: When Can I Start Using Lube?

Naomi Watts, the Oscar-nominated actress, is on a mission to normalize menopause, a natural phase of life that affects more than a million women in the United States each year. Despite its prevalence, a recent survey found that only six percent of women felt prepared for the symptoms, which can include hot flashes, brain fog, and sleeping problems. Watts is determined to change this narrative and help women embrace menopause rather than fear it.

Perimenopause or Early Menopause

Watts' journey with menopause began when she was 36 and trying to start a family. She was not getting pregnant and her gynecologist suggested that her results were showing that she was close to menopause. This was a terrifying and lonely time for her, as she felt she was on her own with no community or resources to turn to. She eventually was able to fall pregnant naturally with the help of natural interventions, as she wasn't a candidate for IVF. However, after having her children, she experienced hardcore symptoms of menopause, including night sweats and brain fog.

In an interview with TODAY, Watts expressed her desire to bring menopause out into the open. "We're all headed there at some point or another," she said. "Just bring it out onto the table. It's a natural phase of life." She also noted that the stigma and lack of conversation around menopause can lead to women feeling ashamed or like their life is over, which is far from the truth. "With some support and community, hand-holding, and caretaking, we can thrive," she said. "We are actually at that point where we know ourselves better. We're wiser for our cumulative experiences and we should be celebrating this time."

Stripes: Skincare For Menopause

Watts' mission to normalize menopause extends beyond just conversation. She has founded Stripes, a skincare and wellness brand that provides relief for people experiencing symptoms of peri/menopause. The products, which range from scalp to "vadge", as Watts puts it, address the dehydration that comes with the loss of estrogen during menopause. "I wanted Stripes to be aspirational," she said in a video on the Stripes YouTube channel. "I wanted to create a club for women who don't feel reflected anymore in media or storytelling."

In a bold move to challenge the stigma around menopause, Watts recreated a Johnson & Johnson ad she posed for as a teenager that reads, "When can I start using tampons?" Alongside a recent photo, Watts wrote, "When can I start using lube?" She used this post to highlight the dryness that women experience when going through menopause and to encourage more open conversations about this natural phase of life.

Perimenopause, the often years-long transition prior to menopause when hormones fluctuate and women experience a range of symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, insomnia, and irregular periods, is another area that Watts is keen to shed light on. She reflected on her own experience with perimenopause at the New Pause Symposium in New York City, sharing how she felt alone and uninformed during this time. "There was no detail around it. There was no handholding from doctors," she said. "I just knew that this is a road that no one else should have to walk through alone again, without a community."

Watts' mission to normalize menopause is a testament to her belief that aging is a privilege and that women should feel empowered and supported during all phases of their life. By sharing her own experiences and providing resources through Stripes, she is helping to create a community where women can feel seen, heard, and understood. As she so aptly put it, "We're wiser for our cumulative experiences and we should be celebrating this time."

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