Naomi Watts says 'getting older is a privilege'; talks menopause

Naomi Watts wants to conquer the stigma around menopause, saying it is a phase of life that should be better represented in the mass media.

The actress, 53, noted in an Instagram post this week how many women experience feelings of shame as they age past the point where they can have children.

‘Getting older is a privilege and a time for us to feel proud of our cumulative experiences,’ she wrote alongside a makeup-free selfie.

Speaking out: Naomi Watts (pictured) wants to conquer the stigma around menopause, saying it is a phase of life that should be better represented in the mass media 

Naomi said having uncomfortable conversations about topics such as menopause means the issue becomes easier to deal with.

‘Let’s conquer the stigma and address the secrecy and shame we’ve felt and help create a healthier foundation for future generations,’ she wrote.

The Loudest Voice star added that when she first thought of having a family in her late thirties, the thought of menopause ‘freaked her out’.

‘Then the M word swiftly blew my doors down, it felt like a head-on collision with a Mack truck,’ she explained.

Health issue: The 53-year-old star shared a lengthy Instagram post, highlighting the fact that many women experience feelings of shame as they age past the point where they can have children Picture: Naomi posted this picture when the star had a medical check-up recently

Feeling alone with her anxiety over menopause, Naomi was confused about what she described as the ‘code of silence’ surrounding it.

‘I was earlier to it [menopause] than my peers,’ she added.

‘My mentors and mum didn’t seem up for discussing it, I didn’t know how to ask for help and they didn’t know how to provide…. even doctors had little to say.

‘It’s oddly like an unwritten code of silence: women should suck it up and cope, because that’s how generations passed have done it.’

Naomi pointed out that by 2025 there will be one billion women worldwide who will be menopausal.   

‘I think it’s time to see women in this phase of life or this age group be well represented,’ she said.

Happy family: Naomi shares two children, Sasha, 14 and Kai, 13, with actor Liev Schreiber (pictured)

‘We’ve been under-served in media, stories and marketing far too long. When you spotlight uncomfortable conversations, they get easier.

‘Progress is made. Why has this particular one taken so long?’

Naomi shares two children, Sasha, 14 and Kai, 13, with her ex-partner Liev Schreiber.

Major role: Naomi Watts is pictured in The Loudest Voice, the powerful Showtime mini-series about what went on behind the scenes in the early days of Fox News

The couple, who never married, were together 11 years before separating in 2016, and now amicably co-parent their children.

Naomi met current partner American actor Billy Crudup while working together on the Netflix series Gypsy in 2017.