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Kim Cattrall is partnering with Natural Cycles, the women’s health company behind the world’s first FDA-cleared birth control app, to share her perimenopause journey
Reflecting on her own experience, Cattrall admits perimenopause was “very challenging”
“It affected me in particular with insomnia, which went on for a long time. It was really difficult functioning on three hours of sleep,” she tells PEOPLE

Kim Cattrall is opening up about her experience with menopause — and she’s on a mission to help other women navigate the transition with greater awareness and support.

The Sex and the City actress, 69, is partnering with Natural Cycles, the women’s health company behind the world’s first FDA-cleared birth control app, to share her perimenopause journey.

“Their mission is to demystify what goes on and to make it easier for you to understand what’s happening outside and inside your body with an app that educates and informs you about your menopause journey,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’m for anything that gives women hope of understanding themselves.”


(L) Kim Cattrall (R) Natural Cycles CEO Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl.Natural Cycles

Reflecting on her own experience, Cattrall admits perimenopause was “very challenging.”

“It affected me in particular with insomnia, which went on for a long time. It was really difficult functioning on three hours of sleep,” she shares. “I went to my mom and asked, ‘What was it like for you?’ and she looked at me like she didn’t really know what I was talking about. She said, ‘I just got on with it.’ She didn’t want to talk about it. I was single at the time, so I did feel stranded, and that’s when I decided to get informed.”

Through research and cognitive behavioral therapy, she discovered that perimenopause is not a one-size-fits-all journey. “You think that your sister’s menopause is going to be like yours, or your mother’s, or your aunt’s, but that’s just not the way it is,” she explains. “Yours is individual, and those challenges are there for you to prevent.”

Her message to others: You’re not alone, and information is power.

“I want to pass on the message that there’s stuff out there — available information that can help you understand your symptoms,” the About My Father actress says. “So educate yourself. Try to find out what your menopause is like.”


Kim Cattrall, Natural Cycles.Natural Cycles

One of her biggest lessons from the experience? Patience. “I think patience was really the thing that I learned from this whole experience,” she tells PEOPLE. “When I’ve been ill or not feeling great in the past, I’ve known what to do. But in this case, that was taken away, and you’re not in charge. Patience is what you need to get through it and to understand it because it does unfold gradually.”

It’s a lesson she’s carrying into her professional life, too. “I’ve got two dream projects in development right now, and they’re really good,” she teases. “Two very different characters, but just a blast to play. Development takes a while, though — that’s where patience comes in.”

Alongside those projects, Cattrall remains passionate about advocating for women’s health and raising awareness about menopause. “I feel that one of my roles, especially with younger women, is to let them know: you’re going to get through this,” she says. “You’re going to make it to the other side.”