'It Needs A Rebranding': Celeb Quotes On Redefining Perimenopause And Menopause

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Perimenopause and menopause may be completely natural processes for anyone born with a uterus, but they've often been treated as taboo conditions. For generations, women kept their menopausal experiences to themselves, usually out of the sense that the subject wasn't meant for general discussion. And who could blame them, when a 1960s book (written by a doctor) associated menopause with shriveled-up breasts and lots of flab (via Good Housekeeping)?

However, many of today's most influential and outspoken female celebs are breaking through this barrier and dishing about their annoying, scary, and surprising perimenopause and menopause symptoms. From hot flashes to heart palpitations, they're showing the world that no medical condition should be swept under the proverbial rug, especially a condition that will occur in roughly half the human population. (Do you know the symptoms of menopause? You might be amazed at how many there are.)

What wise words are being said about bringing "the pause" into everyday chats, and who is saying them? Prepare to be blown away by the sassy, thoughtful, and sometimes funny remarks from your favorite stars and public figures.

If it's been a bit since you thought about Halle Berry, you may be surprised to learn the former "Catwoman" is in her late 50s. In other words, she's deep into menopause territory and, in 2025, talked all about her belief in normalizing the shared experience during a Time exclusive.

"If men went through this time of life in the same horrific way we do [with symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes], there would be lots of answers, research, and a lot of money raised to fund studies to help men live their best lives," said Berry. "But because we are women, we suffer sexism and ageism," she added.

Generally speaking, perimenopause starts when women are in their 40s. However, it can begin much earlier, as Naomi Watts discovered.

While in her 30s, Watts began exhibiting hallmark perimenopause indicators. Regrettably, she had no one to turn to and had to figure out what was happening without professional guidance. As she recalled to People, "My skin started going berserk. I had irritable, itchy, sensitive skin ... I was in this loop of not knowing enough about my health and I just started googling and figuring it out on my own."

To her credit, Watts didn't stay silent. She wrote a book, "Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause," to help others avoid her experiences. (Even if you don't read her work, you can still tell if you're in perimenopause by a few key indicators.)

For Drew Barrymore, getting her period every two weeks was her first sign of perimenopause, according to a CBS Mornings conversation (via YouTube). Unfortunately, her doctor told her she might have to deal with the reality for a decade. At the time, Barrymore said she thought, "I will never make it 10 years like this."

Barrymore also noted during her interview that hot flashes had been "marketed so well," but that the marketing hadn't extended to what perimenopause and menopause actually look and feel like. Explained Barrymore, "Most of it seems very unfamiliar and confusing, not just to men but women."

Jane Seymour is in her 70s and is still a bombshell. And she's ready to talk about the wonders of life after menopause. Said Seymour during a Hello! interview, "I feel an extraordinary freedom at the moment."

Seymour also admitted that menopause isn't always easy on the body, but that it just requires some new ways of thinking. "Sex gets painful and then you just have to find ways to deal with that," she explained. But she apparently keeps a positive attitude and hopes others will do likewise. "You find a way that works for you or you and your partner in whatever fashion and there are lots of different ways to find pleasure in life. And to be a whole woman," said Seymour.

Some actresses have turned to advocacy to amplify their beliefs about the way menopause should be approached, including Cheryl Hines. "I want to help be a voice for those women, including my friends that are living with it [painful sex], and to help educate women, like me, who may experience this condition in the future," she noted in a press release indicating that she was joining a campaign for more discourse about uncomfortable intercourse (via AMAG Pharmaceuticals).

During one of her "goop" podcasts, Gwyneth Paltrow didn't mince words when a listener sent in a question about her feelings on menopause. "I really do think menopause needs a good rebranding," Paltrow replied. "I think we need to stop thinking about it as the end of something and more of the beginning of another chapter."

Paltrow speaks from personal experience. As she explained in another "goop" podcast, she went through anxiety and difficulty sleeping. Yet as she mentioned to Elle, it's normal and needs to be addressed as a personalized journey for every woman. "It's perfectly natural that we all traverse through it," she said.

The thought of turning menopause into a stigmatized topic doesn't sit well with Kim Cattrall. In a Cosmopolitan interview, she took a hard line look at the condition: "I don't think it's shameful. It's as natural as having a child — it really is; it's part of life."

This isn't the first time Cattrall's been in the health spotlight. Cattrall received a Hashimoto's diagnosis early in her career, so she's dealt with tough symptoms before, which is another testament to her practicality and optimism.

For eight years, Michelle Obama was the First Lady of the United States. And what many people never knew was that she was experiencing menopause while her husband was in office. On an episode of "The Michelle Obama Podcast," she recalled a particularly memorable hot flash she had while traveling on Marine One. "Literally it was like somebody put a furnace in my core and turned it on high," she said (via The Grio). However, Obama was dismayed that her experience — which isn't unusual — isn't more frequently discussed. "There is not a lot of conversation about menopause," she told People, adding that information around it was sparse. (To his credit, her husband reportedly supported women in the Oval Office who were going through menopause.)