Halle Berry recently reflected on the challenging way she discovered she was in perimenopause while in conversation with the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, at an event earlier this week. The actress didn't think she'd experience perimenopause, saying, “First of all, my ego told me that I was going to skip it—I’m very safe, I’m healthy, I managed to get myself off of insulin and manage my diabetes since I’m 20 years old,” she told Biden during the A Day of Unreasonable Conversation summit in Los Angeles.
But when sex with her partner, Van Hunt, caused severe pain afterward, Berry sought medical care. “I feel like I have razor blades in my vagina. I run to my gynecologist and I say, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening?’ It was terrible,” she said. Her doctor shared that he'd never seen a case of herpes as severe as hers, but she didn’t think she had the condition. The actual culprit? After testing confirmed that neither she nor Hunt had herpes, Berry realized this dryness was a symptom of perimenopause. This moment also ushered in a pivotal turning point for the actress: “My doctor had no knowledge and didn’t prepare me. That’s when I knew, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to use my platform. I have to use all of who I am, and I have to start making a change and a difference for other women,’” she said.
Berry reflected on her time at the event in the Instagram post below, writing: “Of course, as @respin founder, I was talking about menopause and was joined by @flotus who is doing groundbreaking work for women’s health issues. So grateful to continue the conversation on a topic that is near and dear to my heart and one that affects half the entire population!” Rē•spin is a digital community she made that puts perimenopause and menopause at the forefront.
This isn't the first time Berry has opened up about her experience with menopause. She and Biden previously discussed women's health at an event about the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research in Chicago back in January. In 2023, the actress also shared her perspective with Women’s Health. “The most important thing about owning your sexuality as a woman is accepting the station you’re at—and embracing that. And I say that because I’m smack-dab in the middle of menopause,” she said. “And I am challenging everything I thought I knew about menopause. Things like: ‘Your life is over.’ ‘You are disposable.’ ‘Society no longer has a place for you.’ ‘You should retire.’ ‘You should pack it up.’”
We're certain that Berry will continue to build community for others who’ve also reached this health milestone.
Jane Burnett is an Assistant Editor at Oprah Daily, where she writes a variety of lifestyle content for the editorial team. She's a journalist with a pop culture sweet tooth—when she isn't catching up on celebrity news, she's usually listening to a podcast! Jane was previously an on-air reporter in local news, and worked at Thrive Global, Ladders News, and Reuters. She also interned at CNBC through the Emma Bowen Foundation, and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
