Halle Berry's 'Ego' Told Her She Wouldn't Deal With Menopause (Spoiler Alert: It Was Wrong)

Halle Berry thought somehow menopause would pass her by. The Oscar-winning actor has long been associated with health and wellness, from managing her diabetes to prioritizing fitness to actually cutting down on sugar to look radiant. When she started experiencing menopausal symptoms in her 50s, her immediate reaction was denial. "My ego told me that I was going to skip it," she admitted at the 2024 A Day Of Unreasonable Conversation Summit. When she met her fiancé, Van Hunt, she recalled having sex but feeling an immense amount of pain.

"I feel like I have razor blades in my vagina. I run to my gynecologist and say, 'Oh my God, what's happening?' It was terrible" (via People). Initially, Berry's doctor told her that the root cause of her pain was a severe case of herpes, but after both she and Hunt tested negative for the STD, she learned the pain she was feeling was a symptom of perimenopause. "My doctor had no knowledge and didn't prepare me. That's when I knew, 'I've gotta use my platform ... and start making a change and a difference,'" she explained.

What frustrated Halle Berry the most wasn't the misdiagnosis itself but what the misdiagnosis revealed about the state of women's healthcare. That realization became a catalyst for a new chapter in her career, thus the launch of her wellness platform, Respin. Through this website, the actor advocates for menopause education, guiding users through new hurdles, such as what to know about the changes in their skin during menopause. 

Respin has also supported efforts to improve menopause research and physician education, including advocacy around the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women's Health Act. Experts have noted that menopause-specific training is often limited in medical education, which can leave some women navigating symptoms without clear answers. Berry uses this project to encourage more open conversations about menopause and women's health. What began as a confusing and frustrating personal experience has since informed her work with Respin and her efforts to help women better understand what to expect during this stage of life.