Halle Berry’s perimenopause story hits hard. After a full year of great sex, she woke up in the worst pain of her life, everything swollen and unrecognizable. Her doctor immediately diagnosed worst-case herpes. For 72 brutal hours, she and her new partner spiraled through trust issues… until tests revealed it wasn’t herpes at all. It was severe vaginal dryness from perimenopause. Her elite doctor had barely been trained on it. That moment flipped a switch: Halle decided to speak out publicly, despite warnings it could kill her career, and break the silence around perimenopause and menopause for millions of women. Over 50% of women experience genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), including vaginal dryness, yet it’s still wildly under-discussed and under-treated in medical training.