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Naomi Watts<\/strong> has been hard at work on her first book\u2014and she says it\u2019s not your typical celebrity memoir.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the actress, 55, announced that Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I\u2019d Known about Menopause<\/em> will be hitting shelves in January. And as the title suggests, the book is intended to serve as a reference manual for menopause and other aspects of aging as a woman.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a book about how my life turned upside down when I was told I was close to menopause at the age of 36! Right when I was ready to start a family,\u201d the Mulholland Drive<\/em> star wrote on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Watts\u2019 book\u2014which will include her personal story, anecdotes from her own experience with menopause, and conversations with friends and experts\u2014stems from her desire to help women feel less alone and to break the taboo surrounding menopause, a natural stage of aging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAs I struggled through shame and secrecy, I wished there was an open conversation. A handbook I could secretly turn the pages of. Sadly, there were no real resources. Not even well-versed doctors,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cFeeling confused, alone, and unsupported during this stage of life, Watts was determined to do better for herself and for other women, and began boldly using her platform to normalize conversations about this natural process,\u201d read a press release about the upcoming book, which will include a foreword by Dr. Mary Claire Haver<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Watts\u2014already a leading voice in the menopause health advocacy space\u2014previously wrote an introduction for Menopause Is Hot: Everything You Need to Know to Thrive<\/em> by Mariella Frostrup<\/strong> and Alice Smellie,<\/strong> founded Stripes<\/a>, a menopause-focused brand, and started co-hosting The New Pause Symposium in 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a lot of anxiety in the lead-up to creating this business, and then I just felt like, well, every woman is going to get to this point. Why are we not getting better care?\u201d she said at the time. \u201cThere\u2019s just a lack of education and research.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMenopause is a part of a woman\u2019s midlife, but midlife is about far more than menopause,\u201d she emphasized in a statement. \u201cWe should all hold our heads high. We are older, we are wiser, and we are NOT DONE!! We\u2019ve earned our STRIPES \u2764\ufe0f\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n