Halle Berry reveals sex with boyfriend felt like ‘razor blades’ during perimenopause struggle

Halle Berry spoke out over her perimenopause symptoms (Picture: Getty)

Halle Berry has opened up about her struggles with perimenopause, explaining that the condition made her vagina so ‘swollen’ and dry that sex felt like ‘razor blades’.

The Catwoman actress recently spearheaded her very own wellness company, Respin, and introduced a lubricant to help women going through the same thing.

Appearing on the Drew Barrymore Show this week, the 58-year-old spoke candidly about her relationship with boyfriend Van Hunt – who she has dated since 2020 – and what led to her first product launch.

‘When I was 54, I had just met Van,’ the Oscar-winner began. ‘I manifested this man, and we were having the best time. I finally met my person. It was amazing. It really, truly was amazing.

‘One morning, I tried to go to the bathroom. I couldn’t go. It was so painful when I tried to let a little bit out, I couldn’t go. I had to squeeze it. It took me almost 10 minutes to just empty my bladder because it was so painful.

‘Substances were down there that I had never seen before and I thought, “What is this?”

Halle shared that sex with Van Hunt because painful due to her symptoms (Picture: Getty)

Halle immediately went to the doctor, who initially misdiagnosed her with ‘a really bad case of herpes’.

‘Van, he drove me there because this [her nether region] was so swollen, I couldn’t even put my legs together to drive,’ she continued.

‘We spent the next 72 hours doing the blame game, trying to figure out who gave it to me, who gave it to him…

‘And then a couple of hours after that, my doctor called me and said: “You do not have herpes”. I was like, “Okay then, what is it?” And this was the defining moment for me, he said, “I don’t know, that’s what it looked like.”’

It was her doctor’s lack of knowledge that led Halle on her own journey of research, and she concluded that she suffers from dry vagina syndrome, which ‘women have when they are in perimenopause’.

‘I had all the symptoms of what that felt like,’ she said, sharing that the symptoms made it very difficult – and hugely painful – to be intimate with Van.

Halle recalled her stressful trip to the doctors (Picture: Getty)

‘I did have about six months or seven months [where] we struggled with finding a way to have sex again, getting rid of the dryness, making it more enjoyable because it got pretty rough for a minute.’

When Drew described the feeling as ‘sandpaper’, the Monster’s Ball actress interjected: ‘Razor blades.’

Menopause is technically the name given when a woman’s periods stop due to lower hormone levels.

Symptoms of menopause can include, but aren't limited to: Palpitations  Chest pain  Breast tenderness  Itchy skin  Dry skin  Rosacea  Acne  Thin skin  Collagen loss  Crying  Brain fog  Memory loss  Poor concentration  Word finding difficulty  Anxiety  Low mood  Worsening PMS  Anger/rage Irritability  Headache  Migraines  Joint pain  Joint stiffness  Vaginal dryness  Vaginal discharge  Vulval itch  Perineal itch  Vulval/vaginal electric shocks  Increase in thrush  Increase in BV  Poor libido  High libido  Weight gain  Scalp hair loss  Unwanted hair growth  Urinary infections  Urinary incontinence  Urinary urgency  Nocturia (getting up at night)  Sexual dysfunction  Chest tightness Constipation  Gastric reflux  Fatigue  Night sweats  Hot flushes  Cold flushes  Period increased frequency  Periods decreased frequency  Heavier periods  Muscle loss  Tinnitus  Dry eyes  Watery eyes  Burning mouth  Gum disease  Foot pain  Frozen shoulder  Insomnia  Histamine sensitivity  New allergy  Body odour change 

If you’re concerned about any of these symptoms, speak to your doctor.

While this usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, symptoms can happen far earlier as estrogen begins to decline, in what’s known as perimenopause – some can experience changes as early as their mid-30s.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the level of estrogen rises and falls unevenly during perimenopause, with changing menstrual cycles – including some where their ovaries don’t release an egg.

As well as vaginal dryness and sleep issues, symptoms can include irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal and bladder problems, changes in sexual function and many more.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.