On the shelf
“Dare I say it: Everything I wish I knew about menopause.”
Written by Naomi Watts
The Crown: 256 pages, $29
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“This will definitely end my career.” This was Naomi Watts’ initial response to the prospect of writing her first book, Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I Knew About Menopause.
Through its menopause-focused health brand, Beauty stripesand opening up about her experience with perimenopause in her late 30s while also trying to have her children with then-partner Liev Schreiber, Watts was already one of the most prominent celebrities to address the aging process in women. “I Dare I Say It,” which Crown will publish on January 21, builds on her previous efforts. It combines expert medical opinions, case studies from other women, and Watts’ own experience.
“I hope it feels like an honest, comfortable conversation with a friend, and that it will lead to them having that conversation in real time if they’re too afraid to open up,” Watts says.
She’s upfront about getting “baby Botox” (small dose injections) between jobs to maintain her facial expressions on screen. The actress recently received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her performance as Babe Paley in Ryan Murphy’s “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” which she calls “the role of a lifetime.” One of my roles, if not my best.”
In her book, she shares an endearing anecdote about her husband, Billy Crudup, whom she married in 2023, allaying her fears about exposing her hormone patch during their first date by pointing out the gray hairs on his balls. “These remain the most romantic words I have yet heard,” Watts writes.
This lightness was intentional. “I always wanted to bring humor into the film because we know the pain points,” she told The Times.
After overcoming her fear of the unknown regarding being a debut author, Watts aimed to write the kind of book she wished she had when she was experiencing symptoms alone. Watts’ mother entered menopause early as well, at age 45, but they never talked about it until Watts mustered the courage to bring it up with her.
“I guess these are the conversations I never had with you because my mother never had with me,” Watts recalls her mother responding in “Dare I Say It.”
“I wish there had been a book when I was struggling with it, floundering and full of shame and doubt and confusion,” Watt says.
Perhaps the strongest part of “Dare I Say It” is when the book addresses hormone replacement therapy, or hormone replacement therapy, which received bad reviews in 2002 when Women’s Health Initiative Study He asserted that HRT causes breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, among other health concerns. Watts wrote that the study was actually done to see whether HRT reduces the risk of heart disease — it did not — and that it was stopped after researchers noticed a slight increase in breast cancer risk. Subsequent research has indicated that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks, in particular For younger women in the premenopausal period. Advocates of HRT say it has been shown to help Bone density and preventing or reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Not to mention, menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms are the most commonly treated.
“Women have been taught not to complain. To suck it up, it’s a natural process, you have to go through it,” says Watts. “But you don’t have to suffer. The bad studies that happened in 2002 left us with a lot of fear.
Watts stresses that she is not a doctor, and that everyone should discuss the best options for them with their doctor.
“But some doctors say no without exploring this person’s medical history, and this is not acceptable. She confirms that the reason is that they themselves are uneducated.
Dare I Say It and other resources can serve as a stopping point for those who do not have adequate support to deal with their symptoms.
“I’ve tried to gather those doctors I trust, and it’s up to the reader to extract the information they feel is appropriate for them,” says Watts. “If you come in with some preparation, you can have a very nuanced conversation about what you’re experiencing, what your needs are, and whether this is right for you.”
“As one doctor says, we’re still too attached to misogynistic patriarchal messages that say women are on their expiration date once our eggs are gone,” Watts continues. This still exists, no matter how advanced we are as a society. “It’s just ingrained.”
Watts declines to directly answer a question about incoming Vice President J.D. Vance’s past endorsement of the view that the purpose of postmenopausal women is to take care of their grandchildren, saying simply: “Let the fact that I say nothing say it all.
“We’re not going to go into the corner and pull out our knitting needles, even though I love knitting,” she says.
“We have a lot to do, and it is up to us to change these messages,” Watts continues. “Experience and time on the clock is really important. Women today have more experience, and we have something to offer the younger generations.
Other than taking care of a grandchild.
