The actress Hally Berry participated in a conversation with the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, about one of the most relevant topics: perimenopause. The actress not only told her personal experience, but she told an anecdote in which she made evident the lack of information on the subject, even in certain health professionals.
“Today I had the pleasure of being part of ‘a day of unreasonable conversation’, a space where producers, writers and studio directors listen to people talk about what is important to them and relevant so that movies can be created and television shows that matter and resonate with audiences.”
“Of course, I talked about menopause. “I am very grateful to continue the conversation about a topic that is very dear to my heart and that affects half of the population! ”Wrote the Hollywood star on her Instagram account, along with some postcards from the meeting.
In that talk, the actress told the first lady about the strange way in which she found out that she was going through perimenopause, after her doctor confused her symptoms with herpes.
“At 54 years old I met the man of my dreams,” he said, referring to the musician Van Hunt. When sharing details about her life as a couple, the Oscar winner recalled feeling a extreme pain after having sex, so she immediately visited her gynecologist.
“I felt like I had razor blades in my vagina. I ran to my gynecologist and said, ‘Oh my God, what’s going on?’ It was terrible,” she recalled, explaining that he is not ashamed to share his story, because he is aware that he can help other women. “He told me: ‘You have the worst case of herpes I have ever seen in my life.‘. Surprised, I responded: ‘Herpes? I don’t have herpes!’”
Despite her safety, she and her partner immediately underwent tests to determine if they had contracted any sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the tests returned negative results. “After all that, I realized that it is a symptom of perimenopause”said the actress, noting that dryness is a symptom of the transition period to menopause.
“My doctor had no knowledge and did not prepare me. That’s when I knew, ‘Oh my God, I have to use my platform.’ I have to use the privileged place that I occupy and start making a change and a difference for other women,” she explained.
Berry ended the conversation by asking the audience to help “change the way the culture views women at that stage of their lives.”
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