Halle Berry once thought she had herpes – only to discover it was perimenopause.
The “Catwoman” star made the revelation while speaking about women’s health with First Lady Jill Biden at Monday’s A Day of Unreasonable Conversation summit at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.
Berry, 57, recalled experiencing “extreme pain” after being intimate with boyfriend Van Hunt. When she went to the doctor, they initially thought she had the “worst case of herpes” they’d ever seen.
However, negative tests showed that neither Berry nor Hunt, 54, had the sexually transmitted infection.
“I realized after the fact that is a symptom of perimenopause,” the actress explained to Biden, 72, and guests, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“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.’”
Berry also admitted that, at the time, her “ego” told her that she “was going to skip” menopause altogether.
“I’m very safe, I’m healthy, I managed to get myself off of insulin and manage my diabetes since [I was] 20 years old,” she explained.
Perimenopause is the “transitional time around menopause” and can include several symptoms that are “caused by the changing levels of hormones in the body” –– including mood changes, night sweats and vaginal dryness –– according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Despite a woman’s health habits, every woman will go through menopause –– unless a woman got their ovaries “removed before puberty,” according to HealthPartners.
The “Monster’s Ball” actress told the story in front of…
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