Conversations around menopause have often been swept under the rug or discussed in hushed tones—which is why a number of celebrities are now speaking about what menopause specifically looked like for them. CBS This Morning host Gayle King and actor Drew Barrymore talked about their experiences with perimenopause by sharing the first symptoms they noticed in a new segment that aired on Wednesday.
A little refresher: Perimenopause (which translates to “around menopause”) simply refers to the time menopause starts, and it can strike at different ages. It can start during a person’s 30s, but most people experience it from ages 40 to 44, according to the Mount Sinai Health System.
Barrymore, now 48, said this transition changed the frequency of her periods. “I realized that I was in perimenopause when I started having my period every two weeks,” she said. When King, now 68, asked if she was having a heavy flow, Barrymore said, “Yes, like a teenager.”
This was the telltale sign for King. “I went to the doctor because—not to get too graphic—but it looked like a crime scene,” she said. She also said she experienced hot flashes. As King explained, “It feels like you’re burning inside. It just feels hot, for me it was just a physical heat. Then you can sometimes have dripping, drenching sweats.” She joked that you can’t control when and where a hot flash will strike. “It can happen at the most inopportune times,” King said. “I’ve been on the red carpet where a photographer will say, ‘Gayle, are you okay?’ I go, ‘It’s just a hot flash,’ and they say, ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry.’ It’s like they’ve said something very bad about you.”
This is part of the reason King and Barrymore are trying to start more discussions about what menopause actually feels like. “I’m just glad we’re having this conversation because I didn’t even know the phrase perimenopause [when it started for me],” King said.
The pair also talked about the importance of educating all children—not just little girls—about natural bodily processes. “I don’t want little boys going, ‘Ew,’ [when they hear about menopause],” King said. “I don’t want that because it is something we go through. And it’s just male and female—there are differences, and those differences are okay.”
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