Halle Berry Passionately Speaks on Menopause Bill at U.S. Capitol

Halle Berry is passionate about her menopause -- and she's talking about it in public ... on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, no less, where she's advocating for more awareness on this.

The actress stepped up to a podium Thursday in D.C., where she was surrounded by multiple U.S. senators who'd just unveiled a bill seeking substantially more funding and resources to be thrown at menopause ... something all women go through in life.

That's where Halle enters the chat. She got up there and talked about her own experience with menopause, and shouted from the mountaintop -- letting everyone know she has it.

Take a listen to her story, because it's pretty hilarious. HB describes recently meeting up with her doctor -- and noting that the guy was hesitant to even talk about menopause with her ... that is, until she forced the issue and made him tackle it head-on.

Halle says this is a microcosm of something a lot of women deal with on the health front -- namely, physicians not being well-versed in menopause ... and the stigma surrounding it.

That's why Halle wants to open up the conversation -- and believes this new bill can help all women. The legislation is called the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, and it seeks $275 million to bring menopause care into the 21st century.

While Halle's heart is certainly in the right place, the reactions to her menopause proclamation -- and this bill in general -- are a bit mixed ... some feel it's simply not that serious or deserving of this kind of spotlight.