What to Know
The closer I got to 40, the more scared I got about perimenopause. I was a teenager when my mom started going through perimenopause and then full-blown menopause, and it seemed awful. “Your turn is coming,” she’d warn, and it almost felt like a curse. But now it’s my turn, and it still feels like a curse. As many women will tell you, perimenopause isn’t something that gets talked about enough publicly. Thankfully, there are celebrities who are willing to take up the mantle on having the conversations. Most recently, Penélope Cruz and Olivia Wilde had a candid chat about perimenopause, and it was so needed.
The two actresses discussed the parts of perimenopause that don’t get talked about.
@allure It's time to get real about perimenopause. Tap the link in bio to watch #PenélopeCruz and #OliviaWilde ♬ original sound – Allure
In a conversation for Allure, the women, who star in the film The Invite, talk about the least talked about symptoms of perimenopause.
“It can last 10, 12 years. It can start as early as 40. The ups and downs can be crazy,” Cruz said. “I remember when I was 41, and my doctor told me, ‘Your hormones are going to be doing this crazy dance for the next 10 or 12 years,’” she added.
Cruz admitted she believed it was a “really bad joke,” and that “it was not possible to handle that.”
Because she develops cysts in her ovaries, Cruz shared that she has experienced extreme spikes in her hormones — they still happen. “People have to know, because you have to prepare yourself,” she said.”
Perimenopause symptoms are more than just hot flashes.
Wilde shared that Cruz taught her about a symptom she’d never heard of before. “You taught me about the frozen shoulder thing,” she said.
Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, “involves stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Midi Health says “frozen shoulder may occur during menopause when hormonal changes lead to shoulder stiffness and limited movement, often causing pain.”
Wilde said she’d never heard of frozen shoulder before an unscripted scene in The Invite where Cruz’s character talked about perimenopause. Cruz said she learned about the symptom from OB-GYN Dr. Mary Claire Haver.
“Now I just think about frozen shoulder all the time. I’m just waiting for my shoulder to freeze,” Wilde joked.
Women were grateful that Penélope Cruz and Olivia Wilde were willing to have this conversation.
“It’s so cool to me to see topics like this being discussed so openly,” one comment read.
Another commenter wrote “frozen shoulder is the worst 😫 the pain is excruciating.”
“So basically we don’t get a break 😭 glad these conversations are being had though,” someone else added.
“It’s genuinely enraging how little research a medical focus goes in menopause and how little it’s talked about,” a different commenter added.
Many people also chimed in, saying that perimenopause can start before the age of 40. “I’m 36, I started perimenopause when I was 35,” while another commenter wrote that they were “38. Doc confirmed peri.”
The conversation made its way around the internet.
Users on Reddit shared the clip of Penélope Cruz and Olivia Wilde in the r/popculturechat, where they praised the pair for being so open about their experiences.
“I’m so glad we are finally having these conversations publicly, and my heart aches for my mom and grandma, and other generations of women before me who didn’t have access to knowing anything about perimenopause,” one user wrote.
“A lot of women go through perimenopause for much longer than 12 years. I started at 39 and women in my family don’t go through menopause until around 60. That would mean about 20 years of perimenopause for me,” another user commented. “And women who have ADHD and other neurodivergences get symptoms that are much, much worse.”
“Having women like Penelope and Olivia and Halle [Berry] talk about their experiences, their symptoms, and so do it so frankly and honestly will only help us have the conversation as a society. I’m no celeb worshiper but you can’t deny their influence and I’m so happy to see this sort of thing being talked about. Props to them,” someone else wrote.
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