Actress Halle Berry is using her platform to raise awareness about perimenopause and menopause.
Perimenopause is the transition phase to the onset of menopause.
Menopause refers to the end of a woman’s reproductive years when she goes 12 months without a menstruation cycle.
The Oscar winner, 58, declared “I’m in menopause!” while standing on Capitol Hill. She expressed her deep frustration at being misdiagnosed with herpes when she first began experiencing perimenopause.
The misdiagnosis set Halle on her own health journey to learn as much about menopause as she could. Now she is on a mission to spread menopause awareness to other women.
“People have always labeled me a sex symbol,” Halle told Forbes magazine. “So for someone like me to speak openly about menopause, it changes the conversation. It lets women know that aging is not something to be feared — it’s something to embrace.”
Halle’s mission is to make sure women don’t feel stigmatized by menopause. “This is my greatest act,” she said. “I never imagined this would be it — but I know now that it is.”
Menopause usually begins after age 40 through age 55. But it is occurring sooner due to the high levels of hormones in our nation’s food and water supply.
Some women are experiencing early symptoms of menopause in their 20s and 30s.
Menopause is considered premature if it occurs before age 40 when the ovaries stop producing estrogen earlier than they should.
