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Halle Berry is getting encouragingly candid about women’s health.
On Monday, the Oscar-winning actress joined First Lady Dr. Jill Biden as a speaker at the fourth annual A Day Of Unreasonable Conversation Summit hosted by Propper Daley.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Berry, 57, surprised Dr. Biden as she addressed women aging and the sexual experiences that come during perimenopause. While speaking on the issue, the Catwoman star opened up about believing she wouldn’t have issues with sex at an older age and her doctor’s misdiagnosis after Berry experienced pain during sex with boyfriend, Van Hunt.
“First of all, my ego told me that I was going to skip it — 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 told the crowd, per THR.
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Berry shared that after meeting “the man of my dreams,” Hunt, and having a lot of sex, she knew the pain she was experiencing wasn’t normal. After speaking with her doctor, she recalled them telling her that she had the worst case of herpes.
However, Berry and Hunt both got tested and it was revealed that the doctor misdiagnosed her and the pain was due to dryness during sex. According to the star, it happened because of lack of information.
“I realized after the fact that is a symptom of perimenopause,” she said. “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.'”
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Berry told the crowd that her aim for the conversation was “changing the way women and men feel about women during their midlife and how they feel about this — which used to be a dirty little word — menopause, perimenopause, and 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.”
In addition to the first lady, other guests included Kerry Washington, Jane Fonda, and Paris Hilton. Following the event, Berry took to Instagram to share photos from the day.
“Today I had the pleasure of being a part of ‘a day of unreasonable conversation.’ It’s where producers, writers, show runners and studio heads hear folks talk about what’s important to them and relevant so that the powers that be can create film and TV that matter and that will resonate with audiences!,” she wrote. “Of course, as @respin founder, I was talking about Menopause and was joined by @flotus who is doing groundbreaking work for women’s health issues. So grateful to continue the conversation on a topic that is near and dear to my heart and one that affects half the entire population!”
Last year, Berry opened up about the importance of owning her sexuality through this phase of her life.
“The most important thing about owning your sexuality as a woman is accepting the station you’re at — and embracing that,” she told Women’s Health. “And I say that because I’m smack dab in the middle of menopause. And I am challenging everything I thought I knew about menopause. Things like: ‘Your life is over.’ ‘You are disposable.’ ‘Society no longer has a place for you.’ ‘You should retire.’ ‘You should pack it up.’ I’m challenging all those stereotypes about how you have to look a certain way or feel a certain way.”
Berry said that in her current era, she feels like her “best self.”
“I have the most to offer. I have zero blanks to give anymore,” she told the magazine. “I’m solidly in my womanhood. I finally realize what I have to say is valuable, even if no one else agrees.”
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