Halle Berry is opening up about experiencing a herpes scare that was actually a case of perimenopause.
During a conversation with first lady Dr. Jill Biden on Monday, March 25, at the A Day of Unreasonable Conversation summit in Los Angeles, the actress, 57, said that her physician told her she had the “worst case of herpes he’d ever seen.”
“First of all, my ego told me that I was going to skip [perimenopause] — I’m very safe, I’m healthy, I managed to get myself off of insulin and manage my diabetes since I’m 20 years old,” she recalled.
The Catwoman star said when she met boyfriend Van Hunt, who she described as “the man of my dreams,” that menopause was “not even a thought on my mind” at her age. “So we’re having our thing, we’re having sex and everything is great,” she said, later revealing that she experienced “extreme pain” during intimacy.
Halle Berry and Boyfriend Van Hunt Hold Hands During Red Carpet Date Night
“So one day, we’re having sex like normal,” she recalled. “I wake up in the morning, I go to the bathroom, and guess what? I feel like I have razor blades in my vagina.”
Berry noted how “terrible” she felt, adding that she consulted with a gynecologist. When Berry told her doctor that she was “really excited” about her new relationship, he warned that she “messed up” and had an STD. She and Hunt, 54, subsequently underwent testing, and their results were negative.
“Neither one of us has herpes,” Berry said. “I realized, after the fact, that [the sensation] is a symptom of perimenopause.”
Berry’s doctor “had no knowledge” of perimenopause, which is described as the transitional phase before menopause characterized by hormonal fluctuations and irregular menstrual cycles. “[He] didn’t prepare me,” she said. “That’s when I knew, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve gotta use my platform. I have to use all of who I am and I have to start making a change and a difference.’”
Halle Berry’s Incredible Body Through the Years
In recent years, Berry has become a vocal advocate for menopause awareness. She noted on Monday that menopause is “a glorious time of life,” noting that her goal is to change “ the way women and men feel about women during their midlife and how they feel about” the condition, “which used to be a dirty little word.”
The Moonfall actress confirmed her relationship with Hunt in September 2020. “Halle absolutely believes Van is the one for her,” an insider exclusively told Us Weekly in February 2021, sharing insight into her “great relationship” with Hunt. “[She] can see herself settling down with him.”
Hunt “brings out the fun side” of the actress, the source added, noting that he’s “creative and funny and constantly challenging Halle and making her laugh.”
Before dating Hunt, Berry was married to David Justice from 1993 to 1997, to Eric Benét from 2001 to 2005 and to Olivier Martinez from 2013 to 2016. She welcomed daughter Nahla, now 15, in 2008 with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry and son Maceo, now 10, in 2013 with Martinez.
