[1] Well, in the U.S., more than 2 million women enter menopause each and every year, and in some cases, the symptoms that come with it can last for nearly a decade. All of that, according to the National Institutes of Health.

[2] Well, a new documentary called The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause is bringing attention to the powerful impact it can have on women's lives. Take a look.

[3] "I didn't notice the menopause stuff happening. I felt like an angry person, and I'm not an angry person." - "I was having a problem with words, and I couldn't process a word, a word I've known my whole life."

[4] "I'm a board-certified OBGYN⁽¹⁾. I had four years dedicated to women's healthcare. I got a month of training on menopause."

[5] "It's the last third of my life, not as important as the middle third." - "It messed with me in ways that I totally was not expecting. Totally was not expecting it."

[6] I mean, that's just a taste. There's a whole film. Award-winning journalist and executive producer of the film, Tamsen Fadal, joins us now. Tamsen, it's great to see you again.

[7] So, let's get the facts here. The average age for menopause is 52, but it certainly can happen to women younger. And here's the thing: every single woman is going to go through this. It's not like one in five, half the population is going to go through menopause.

[8] But yet, we don't know as much about it. We don't talk about it as much as we ought to. What did you learn? What was your experience making this film?

[9] "Yeah, it's really stunning. Well, first, the big thing I learned is that everybody goes through it differently. You can have people start experiencing perimenopause symptoms in their late 30s, early 40s. Those can last 7 to 10 years, so we're talking about a big span of time."

[10] "And what I also really learned is a lot of doctors have not been educated on it, it's not their fault. Medical schools have not really been teaching it, it's been just really a very low priority. And how can that be when we're talking about 1.1 billion women globally?"

[11] "I love that you're using your journalism to make such a difference and change the conversation because it was powerful hearing that woman say, 'Hold on, my last third of my life doesn't matter as much?'

[12] But also, in the film, there is a male doctor who says, 'Once ovaries stop, the very essence of being a woman stops.' And you want to know what's sad? So many people think that, and perhaps maybe they don't say it in front of a camera, but they think it. How does this sort of shape and change that narrative?

[13] "We have to change that narrative, right? I mean, that is something that I read, and I went, 'How is that possible?' And we're talking about a book that was on the New York Times bestseller list for 50-plus weeks."

[14] "So, when we had that kind of narrative going on, we understand how we got here. When we say, 'How are we not talking about it?' Well, we weren't talking about it because we were seemingly invisible once we hit these ages and weren't in our reproductive years anymore. And that's just not true."

[15] "We don't evaporate and go away and aren't relevant anymore. I see women living into their lives' second, third, and fourth chapters. So, this is a time when you do have these symptoms."

[16] "There are 34-plus symptoms of menopause. We play whack-a-mole⁽²⁾ with a lot of them, and it's only because we don't know what to expect. And that is not okay."

[17] "It makes me think of something Hoda Kotb says all the time: 'It gets greater later.' And I couldn't agree more."

[18]"So, you also wrote this book How to Menopause. Talk to us about the advice that you have for women who do feel like they're going to the doctor and not being taken seriously."

[19] "Yeah, that is such a huge problem, and it's so not okay. But a lot of women feel very dismissed when they're in the doctor's office, or, 'Hey, this is just what all women go through. You're going to be just fine, not a big deal.'"

[20] "So, that's a real concern. And it was what happened to me. I got a note in my patient portal that said, 'In menopause. Any questions?' And that was it. It was, 'You know, have a good day.'"

[21] "And when I really set out to do the film and then to work on the book, which comes out in March, I interviewed 42 experts to make sure that we hit on all aspects of a woman's life, not just what happens in the doctor's office, but everywhere else, the bedroom, the boardroom, and beyond."

[22] "Oh, I love that. Congratulations on the film and also the book coming out in March. Tamsen Fadal, thank you so much for making this happen."