(NewsNation) — As a group of bipartisan senators pushes for $275 million in federal funding for menopause research and education, Emmy-winning journalist Tamsen Fadal emphasizes the dire need to raise awareness about this significant hormone shift affecting millions of women.

“The stigma is real. It’s very real,” said Fadal, who has an upcoming documentary titled “The M Factor” about menopause. “By the year 2025, if you just take a look at the numbers, 1 billion women across the world will be in menopause. That’s … a little bit more than half the population.”

Yet, Fadal notes, most women don’t even know what they’re dealing with when they experience symptoms like hot flashes, brain fog and anxiety.

“The problem is, and most of them don’t even know what they’re dealing with. So they’re well into their symptoms. They don’t know what’s happening. And then they’re left to wonder what is going on? They face a lack of treatment, a lack of education, and a lack of options about menopause,” she said in a Sunday interview on “NewsNation Prime.”

Fadal’s own menopause journey involved visiting five different doctors before understanding what was occurring, highlighting gaps in medical training about the condition.

Under a proposal by Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, $125 million would be set aside for clinical trials, public health and medical research on menopause. The remaining money would help support menopause detection and diagnosis, train doctors on treating menopause and raise public awareness around it.

“I love to see a bipartisan bill like this. I love to see everybody coming together on Capitol Hill,” Fadal said. “We’ve still got work to do. But I think we’re going to do it.”

The bill is backed by 17 senators — three Republicans, 13 Democrats, one independent and all of them women. Several senators said Thursday they hope the bill will also encourage doctors, women and men to speak more openly about the health milestone all women experience.

While the legislation has cleared what is typically one of Congress’ biggest hurdles — getting bipartisan support — its prospects are uncertain. It’s difficult getting bills through Congress at any time and the challenges are compounded now by the divisiveness on the Hill and the dwindling number of days on the legislative calendar before the November election.

The group of women will need to get buy-in from their male colleagues to make the money for menopause research a reality. Congress is overwhelmingly represented by men.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.