When it comes to keeping it real, Halle Berry has always been ahead of the curve — whether she’s on-screen smashing stereotypes or off screen discussing personal topics most people shy away from. The Oscar-winning actress knows how to stay relatable.
Now 58-years-old, Berry has been opening up about her experiences with menopause, and she’s determined to break down the stigma that surrounds it. The ‘Catwoman‘ star didn’t hesitate to school Mike Tyson on a topic that most men barely understand.
Halle Berry Drops Knowledge On Menopause
In a candid backstage moment during the Jimmy Kimmel Live taping on Monday, September 23, Halle Berry shared an unexpected conversation about menopause with none other than legendary boxer Mike Tyson.
During the taping, Berry revealed that her chat with Tyson started when she offered advice to his wife, Lakiha “Kiki” Spicer. “We got into a talk there with his wife Kiki, and I told her, ‘I got you,'” Berry shared.
She added, “[I said] ‘When the time comes, I’m going to know everything about this topic.'”
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But what made the moment even more interesting was Tyson’s curiosity. “He was like, ‘’So what is this menopause? What is it?‘” Berry recounted. Of course, Tyson didn’t shy away from the important question: “It doesn’t affect your sex does it?“
Berry, ever the straight-shooter, responded with a mix of humor and wisdom. “I said, ‘Well, it can.’ But if you get things early that you need — the education, the information — it doesn’t have to [affect your sex life]. You can stay juicy as a peach.”
That’s Halle Berry for you, keeping it real while offering some solid advice, even to one of the toughest guys on the planet.
How Halle Berry’s Herpes Scare Turned Her Into A Perimenopause Advocate
This isn’t the first time Halle Berry has gotten candid about her journey through menopause. Earlier this year, at A Day of Unreasonable Conversation summit, she opened up to First Lady Dr. Jill Biden about a bizarre experience.
The ‘Catwoman‘ star said when she met boyfriend Van Hunt, 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.
“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.”
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Naturally, she freaked out and went to the doctor, who didn’t help matters when he diagnosed her with the “worst case of herpes he’d ever seen.” Horrified, Berry and Hunt both got tested, only to discover that neither had herpes. It was later revealed to be a symptom of perimenopause, the transition phase leading up to menopause.
“I realized, after the fact, that [the sensation] is a symptom of perimenopause,” Berry explained. “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,'” she said.
The ‘X-Men‘ star is now on a mission to be the voice she didn’t have during her own journey. “I didn’t have help. I’m now 58 and nobody helped me. So I want to be the voice of the future for these women and help them get the information they need before it hits them and they think they’re crazy,” she told Tyson and Kiki.
