Halle Berry was told she had one of the 'worst cases' of an STD. It was actually perimenopause.

Halle Berry has opened up about experiencing a herpes scare that turned out to be a case of perimenopause. 

During a conversation with First Lady Jill Biden at a women's health summit in Los Angeles, the Oscar-winning actress said that her physician told her she had the "worst case of herpes he'd ever seen".

Watch: Ask Mia Anything | Perimenopause. Post continues below.

"First of all, my ego told me that I was going to skip [perimenopause] — I'm very safe, I'm healthy, I managed to get myself off of insulin and manage my diabetes since I’m 20 years old," she said.

Berry said that when she first started dating her boyfriend Van Hunt, who she described as "the man of my dreams," that menopause didn't cross her mind, despite being 54 at the time.

"So we’re having our thing, we’re having sex and everything is great," she said.

However, things took a turn when she started experiencing extreme pain during sex, recalling the time when she woke up one morning, went to the bathroom and felt like there were "razor blades" in her vagina.

"I run to my gynecologist and I say, ‘Oh my God, what's happening?’ It was terrible," Berry said, adding that she has "no shame" in sharing her story if it can help other women.

"He said, 'You have the worst case of herpes I've ever seen.' I'm like, 'Herpes? I don't have herpes!'" 

The Oscar winner immediately spoke to her partner about it and they both underwent testing, with their results coming back negative. 

"Neither one of us has herpes," Berry said. "I realised, after the fact, that [the sensation] is a symptom of perimenopause."

"My doctor had no knowledge and didn’t prepare me. That’s when I knew, 'Oh my gosh, I’ve got to use my platform, I have to use all of who I am and I have to start making a change and a difference for other women'." 

In recent years, Berry has utilised her fame to advocate for midlife change, telling Women's Health last year that she's "solidly in" her "womanhood" as she embraces perimenopause.

"I am challenging everything I thought I knew about menopause," she said. "Things like: 'Your life is over.' 'You are disposable.' 'Society no longer has a place for you.' 'You should retire.' 'You should pack it up'."

Berry and Hunt confirmed their relationship in September 2020, however, they reportedly started dating months before, according to People.

Berry was previously married to French actor Olivier Martinez, whom she shares a son, Maceo, with. The two split in 2015.

She also has a daughter, Nahla, from a previous relationship with Gabriel Aubry.

Feature Image: Getty.