Melinda French Gates discusses her experience with perimenopause in the debut episode of Norah O’Donnell’s podcast “Healthful.” She says her symptoms began when she was in her early 40s, noting she had recently finished having her last child in her late 30s. Gates describes how doctors initially struggled to diagnose her condition and determine appropriate treatment despite her access to high-quality medical care. She says it took three doctors to arrive at a diagnosis and to get her the right treatment. The interview also places her comments in the context of her philanthropic work focused on women’s health, with Gates linking personal experience to broader efforts to improve understanding and care for conditions affecting women. Overall, the reporting centers on her account of delayed diagnosis for perimenopause symptoms and the steps she says were required to reach proper treatment.