Halle Berry, 57, is speaking up about experiencing a herpes scare that was actually a case of perimenopause.
The actress has become a vocal proponent of normalising women’s health issues, in particular those related to menopause. As a result, Berry was taking part in a panel conversation on the topic with US First Lady Jill Biden as well as Kerry Washington, Jane Fonda and Cord Jefferson, when she revealed the shocking story.
Berry says she was once confident she was going to “skip” any symptoms associated with a woman’s hormone levels dropping and periods stopping.
“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 shared.
But at 54 she started dating “the man of [her] dreams,” boyfriend Van Hunt, 54. Shortly after they started dating, Berry recalled having extreme pain after sex and decided to visit her doctor to find out why. It was then the medical professional told her she had the ‘worst case of herpes he’d ever seen’ when she was examined.
However, she and Hunt were subsequently both tested and neither had herpes, which prompted Berry to reconsider the situation.
“I realised after the fact that is a symptom of perimenopause” due to dryness. She continued, “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.’”
The star has developed her own wellness platform called Respin to cover menopause and other women’s health topics.
