Oprah Winfrey is teaming up with Halle Berry and Naomi Watts for a television special about the menopause

She said in a statement: "When I was around 48 years old, I thought I was dying and went from doctor to doctor trying to understand why my heart was racing, and did not receive any answers until I picked up a book and read how heart palpitations can be a symptom indicating a change is coming to your body.

"This show starts the revolution of answers for millions of women throughout this country.

"We discuss what you need to know to best advocate for yourself when it comes to mental health, sleep, weight, sex, and your brain so we can ultimately see how freeing menopause can be in your life, with the best yet to come."

The programme will also feature experts discussing the physical and neurological changes women experiences, as well as appearances from celebrity advocates like Naomi Watts, Halle Berry and Maria Shriver.

Author and OB-GYN Doctor Mary Claire Have and comedian Leanne Morgan are also part of the lineup, along with a selection of everyday women who have been affected by the issues.

Over the last year, Oprah has also fronted ABC specials focused on obesity and weight-loss drugs, and artificial intelligence.

Oprah previously described weight-loss drugs as a "gift" and dec lared she refused to be "shamed" about her weight anymore.

She told People magazine: "I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing.

"The fact that there's a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for. I'm absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."

But she stressed that she doesn't rely solely on the medication to control her weight.

She said: "After knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends. I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I'd felt in years.

"I eat my last meal at 4 o'clock, drink a gallon of water a day, and use the WeightWatchers principles of counting points.

"I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way."