Alyssa Milano’s Docuseries Takes On A Subject Few Celebrities Discuss

At 53, Alyssa Milano says she has entered one of the most empowered chapters of her life, and she’s using her platform to make sure other women don’t have to navigate it in silence. The actress and activist is an executive producer on “Balance: A Perimenopause Journey,” a new four-part docuseries that pulls back the curtain on perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause, stages of life that impact millions of women but have long been treated as a back-burner topic. The series premiered on January 30 on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

The project follows award-winning filmmakers and Jain monks Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti as they chronicle their own experiences with perimenopause while traveling the world to speak with women’s health experts. Alyssa Milano shares her personal journey in the series, alongside host and executive producer Jennie Mai.

“The silence around this stage of life hasn’t been accidental. It’s been structural,” Milano told AARP Movies for Grownups. “This is not a transition we need to ask women to handle privately when it affects half of the population and lasts nearly a decade.”

Perimenopause can last anywhere from four to seven years, sometimes longer, with menopause officially defined as the point when a woman has gone 12 months without a menstrual cycle. The average age for menopause in the U.S. is 51 to 52, and everything after that is considered postmenopause.

Dr. Heather Hirsch, an internal medicine physician featured in the series who specializes in menopause care, echoed Milano’s comments, telling the outlet, “The norm for so long has been to treat women like men, but women are entirely different physiologic creatures. Men have steady sex hormones every day of their lives. Our physiology is so unique, and that’s never been honored.”

Perimenopause can bring a wide range of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, weight gain, changes in libido, hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, and muscle aches. Yet many women featured in “Balance” say that when they sought medical help, they were told their symptoms were simply a “normal” part of aging, with little support or treatment offered.

Looking back, Alyssa Milano says she didn’t recognize what was happening when perimenopause first hit. “When I look at those lists of perimenopause symptoms now, I had every single one of them,” she said.

She recalls experiencing brain fog, hot flashes, and insomnia as early as age 41, shortly after giving birth to her daughter. Despite having a supportive doctor, she remembers being told things like, “You just had a baby; go for a hike, take a yoga class.” Unsatisfied, Milano continued searching for answers and eventually pursued hormone replacement therapy. “A week after starting hormone replacement therapy, I felt like a whole new person,” she said.

Alyssa Milano hopes “Balance” doesn’t just reach women navigating this stage of life, but also the people closest to them. She encourages viewers to watch the docuseries alongside friends and partners, stressing that understanding and support can make a powerful difference during a time that’s often misunderstood or minimized.

Rather than framing perimenopause or menopause as something to fear or “fix,” Milano urges women to see it for what it is, a natural evolution, not a personal setback. “This isn’t failure. It’s a transition,” she said. “Don’t fear it. It’s coming for you regardless, so you might as well enjoy it.”

As explored in “Balance,” more than 20 medical professionals weigh in on how starting HRT during perimenopause, when hormone levels begin to drop, can positively impact long-term health, including reducing risks tied to osteoporosis, cognitive decline, and cardiovascular disease.

Today, Alyssa Milano says she’s thriving, and she wants other women to know they don’t have to suffer quietly. “I have never in my life felt as powerful as I do right now,” she said.

Alyssa Milano’s “Balance: A Perimenopause Journey” is now available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.