At what age does perimenopause start? Halle Berry tells First Lady Jill Biden about misdiagnosis of her condition as Herpes 

As Halle Berry sat down with First Lady Jill Biden to discuss women’s health on March 25 at A Day of Unreasonable Conversation summit, the former made a shocking revelation about her health. As the conversations spanned around race, education, health, and politics, Halle Berry revealed that her doctor misdiagnosed her for herpes whereas it was just a symptom of perimenopause.

She explained that she encountered extreme pain while engaging in intercourse, and that is when she consulted a doctor. Halle Berry explained that after the test, the doctor stated that she had the “worst case of Herpes.” However, she later found out that what Halle had was not Herpes, but was just a symptom of perimenopause.

Halle Berry said:

“I realized after the fact that is a symptom of perimenopause due to dryness. 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.'”

Perimenopause is basically the time “around menopause.” The Mayo Clinic states that this is the period where the body makes a “natural transition to menopause.” As per Cleveland, perimenopause happens 8-10 years before menopause. The website also claims that women enter the perimenopause period when they are in their 40s.

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More details about perimenopause as Halle Berry revealed her aim to spread awareness about menopause

During her chat with Jill Biden, Halle Berry revealed that her aim with her menopause awareness is about “changing the way women and men feel about women during their midlife.” Calling it a glorious time of life, she said:

“menopause, perimenopause, we in this room have to change that. It can’t just be the doom and gloom story. This is a glorious time of life.”

To spread awareness about the same, she started her own online health and wellness brand, Re Spin in 2020, to “break the stigma” around menopause. She explained:

“Over the past two years, I have been increasingly fueled by my passion to share my experiences with menopause and break the stigma that surrounds it. Through my own journey and research, I have discovered a newfound sense of empowerment and health. My goal is to empower women to embrace this natural transition and become inspired by the eternal beauty that comes with it.”

Perimenopause is the time in a woman’s life when she enters the pre-menopausal era. During this time, not only does the menstrual cycle start becoming irregular, but women also experience other symptoms like declining fertility, change in hormonal levels, and even vaginal dryness, something that Halle Berry experienced, which caused the doctor to believe that she had Herpes.

As per the Cleveland Clinic, perimenopause lasts differently for every woman. However, the main difference between perimenopause and menopause is that during menopause the periods have ended, whereas in perimenopause, the women does experience usual bleeding, with a few changed symptoms.

During the summit, Jill Biden also sat with Kerry Washington, Jane Fonda, Paris Hilton, and Cord Jefferson. The Monday's A Day of Unreasonable Conversation summit was an invite-only event, which was in collaboration with Invisible Hand. The summit had the agenda of connecting TV writers, producers, and other people in the industry with cultural changemakers.