Menopause and Women’s Health: How Lisa Ray Is Challenging Misinformation

In a bold move that challenged celebrity norms, actor Lisa Ray publicly announced her multiple myeloma diagnosis on the red carpet at age 37. “It was cathartic for me, and gave me a sense of purpose during a tumultuous time in my life,” Ray told HerStory.

What Ray didn’t share at the time was that her stem cell transplant treatment triggered what doctors call chemo-induced or medical menopause. The experience left her unprepared and unsupported.

“Nothing had prepared me for this, and I was given very little medical support,” she explains. “It was mentioned almost as an afterthought, ‘You’ll go into menopause, you may want to think about freezing your eggs.’ After the transplant, I wasn’t advised to look at hormone therapy or ways to support my body through this radical transformation.”

While Ray acknowledges saving her life was the priority, she struggled alone with the aftermath. “I couldn’t even admit it to myself on some level. OBGYNs were not particularly helpful. I didn’t even know that an endocrinologist was something I could go to, despite being deeply educated about my own cancer.”

Ray eventually normalized symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, thinning hair, and dry skin. She later discovered estrogen’s crucial role beyond reproduction, affecting brain, bone, and heart health.

“I realized I was carrying more than my own menopause; I was carrying the shame of a generation,” Ray reflects. “My mother prepared me for my period, but the mirror image of adolescence is menopause. It’s equally natural, doesn’t mark the end of life, and doesn’t necessarily represent decline.”

About four years ago, Ray’s perspective shifted during a trip with her friend Sujata Assomull, founding editor of Harper’s Bazaar India. Assomull was experiencing perimenopausal symptoms without recognizing them. “She thought she was going crazy: extreme mood swings and depression. When I mentioned perimenopause, she said it was the first time she’d heard the word,” Ray recalls.

Their social media conversations about perimenopause and menopause prompted Ray to address her own hormonal health. At 52, she started hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) after educating herself and consulting with doctors who listened. “It made a tremendous difference,” she says. “I thought: why didn’t I do this earlier?”

The scale of this issue is significant. According to the Indian Menopause Society, by 2026, over 100 million Indian women will be undergoing or have completed menopause. Research shows that more than 80% of women aged 40-60 experience symptoms like fatigue, disrupted sleep, mood changes, and hot flashes, yet many don’t seek medical support.

As Ray spoke more openly about menopause, women flooded her direct messages with similar struggles. “It tugged at my heart. But I am not a medical professional. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all. What these women needed was not my smoothie recipe. They needed to be heard and then receive correct, science-backed support,” she explains.

This realization led Ray to co-found NuHer, a women’s midlife health clinic in Mumbai, this year. Her co-founders Binoy Khimji, Zaheer Khan, and Vikas Shah had been running NuHealth, and their visions aligned. NuHer assembled a team of experts, including Dr. Reina Punj, Dr. Kajal Parikh, Dr. Priyanka Mehta, Dr. Anuya Manerkar, Priyanka Kapoor, and Parinaz Agha.

“Medical care is given by OB-Gyns, gynaecologists, and endocrinologists. After consultation, if a patient requires psychological support, she’s referred to our clinical psychologist. We’re also onboarding nutritionists and lifestyle coaches,” Ray explains.

NuHer offers online consultations and emphasizes community building. Ray aims to connect with as many women as possible to raise awareness. The clinic is launching nutraceuticals called ‘Menostrong’ and ‘Menovita’ to support women through menopause and beyond.

Ray highlights a concerning gap in medical education about menopause in India. “Many OB-Gyns are not up-to-date on menopause. Traditionally, they’ve been given about one hour of medical menopause education, and beyond that, many are simply not staying current,” she notes.

Despite these challenges, Ray is passionate about reframing the menopause narrative. “I have never felt as strong, as empowered, as embodied, as confident as I have in my late 40s and 50s. That’s the part of the story we are not telling women. Midlife does not represent decline. It represents a woman stepping into her true power.”

Her message to women experiencing unexplained symptoms is clear: “Not feeling like yourself is enough. You know your body. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to see a doctor and have proper examinations performed.”

Ray concludes with powerful advice: “Perimenopause is a call to action. Your body is not taking revenge on you. It is speaking to you. It is saying: ‘Please pay me some attention. I am important. I am you.’ And I promise, if you listen, we are going to move into midlife in the most kick-ass, powerful way possible. You have become a Queenager.”