An educational moment. Drew Barrymore had her first hot flash on her talk show — and guests Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler were by her side through it all.
“I am so hot, I think I’m having my first perimenopause hot flashes,” the actress, 48, said during an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, which aired on Monday, March 27. “For the first time, I think I’m having my first hot flash. Whoa!”
In response, Aniston, 54, joked that she felt “so honored” by the experience. Barrymore, for her part, noted that she was “excited” to have it captured on film after previously being candid about menopause.
“Well, I’m so glad I have this moment documented,” the Scream actress shared while fanning herself.
Earlier this month, Barrymore opened up about how she initially realized she was going through perimenopause. (According to Mayo Clinic, perimenopause refers to a natural transition to menopause, which marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years.)
“I realized that I was in perimenopause when I started having my period every two weeks,” the California native, who shares daughters Oliver, 10, and Frankie, 8, with ex-husband Will Kopelman, told Gayle King on CBS Mornings.
During the “Facing Fertility” series, Barrymore recalled the struggles that came with the diagnosis, adding, “One doctor also just told me this could last, in the worst-case scenario, 10 years. And I was like, I will never make it 10 years like this!”
King, for her part, praised Barrymore for choosing to discuss the topic on a public platform.
“I’m just glad we’re even having this conversation because I had heard of menopause, but I had never even heard of the phrase perimenopause until I went to the doctors,” she shared. “It feels like you’re burning inside. For me, it was just a physical heat and then sometimes you have dripping, drenching sweats that can just happen at the most inopportune times.”
King continued: “It’s true, it can last 10 years. I mean, the perimenopause doesn’t last 10 years but they say by the time you’re 50, there’s definitely something going on.”
The Charlie’s Angels star expressed hope that by being vocal they could end the stigma around menopause. “The more women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are looking so attractive, feeling so vibrant, living their best lives. The way menopause has been branded is, ‘You’re old, you’re done.’ That’s not it,” she concluded.
