Halle Berry Reveals A Doctor Misdiagnosed Her w/ ‘Worst Case Of Herpes’ He’d Ever Seen, Later Discovered It Was Perimenopause

Halle Berry Reveals A Doctor Misdiagnosed Her w/ ‘Worst Case Of Herpes’ He’d Ever Seen, Later Discovered It Was Perimenopause

Halle Berry once got a wake-up call after a health scare.

The 57-year-old attended the “A Day of Unreasonable Conversation” summit on Monday (March 25) with several other celebrities and notable figures such as Kerry Washington and First Lady Jill Biden. There, they discussed several topics, such as health, race, and politics.

At the event held at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, Halle Berry recalled experiencing “extreme pain” after being intimate with boyfriend Van Hunt.

After seeking medical advice, her doctor initially thought she had the “worst case of herpes he’d ever seen.” However, she and singer-songwriter Van Hunt both tested negative for the disease, which led to the discovery of a midlife change.

“I realized, after the fact, that is a symptom of perimenopause.”

The Oscar-winning actress added her doctor “had no knowledge” of this diagnosis and “didn’t prepare” her.

“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 difference for other women.'”

She added that she wanted to “change the way culture views women” at that point in their lives. She said to her fellow group speakers and executives in the crowd, 

“And we’re not exactly at the end, we’re sitting up here, two women who are clearly down the path of life, we are not done. We’re just getting started in our next act.”

According to Halle Berry, perimenopause and menopause should not be seen as a bad thing but instead as “a glorious time of life.”

She also quipped that she thought she would skip perimenopause because,

“I’m in great shape. I’m healthy, so that makes one think, Oh, I can handle menopause. I’m going to eat right, exercise, and I’m gonna skip that whole thing. You don’t skip it. But I was so [uneducated] at that time. I wish I knew then what I know now.”

Per Johns Hopkins Medicine, perimenopause is the time around menopause when your body begins to become less fertile and hormone levels fluctuate. Women can experience it at different ages. On the other hand, menopause is marked by the final menstrual period. According to the World Health Organization, most women between 45 and 55 experience it.

What do you think about Halle Berry’s story of her doctor mistakenly telling her she had herpes? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[VIA, 1, 2, 3]