Beth Behrs, sitcom star of 2 Broke Girls, has candidly shared her struggles with perimenopause at just 38 years old. After the birth of her daughter with her husband, actor Michael Gladis, Beth experienced intense symptoms, including hot flashes, heavy periods, insomnia, and fatigue.
Initially, her concerns were dismissed by doctors who insisted she was "fine" and "too young" for perimenopause. "But I knew something wasn't right," the 38-year-old actress wrote in a powerful article for Glamour magazine.
Frustrated and searching for answers, Beth finally found validation in an unexpected conversation about perimenopause with a costume designer on the set of The Neighborhood. "She told me she had gone through it at 36, and suddenly everything clicked."
Beth explained that while she'd heard about menopause, she always thought it was something that happened during later years. "I don't really remember ever hearing the word perimenopause," she noted. "And now I know that, no, your late 30s is not 'too young.'”
Beth explains that she has been in perimenopause for the past three years and had struggled to find out the cause of her symptoms which included anxiety.
"When I was 35, I froze my eggs because I learned I had an extremely low ovarian reserve," she explained. "I had to do fertility treatments to have my daughter, who is now almost three. And there's not enough research on this, but I learned that sometimes fertility treatments can exacerbate [perimenopause]."
Beth began "waking in the middle of the night with what I thought were fevers" but they turned out to be "hot flashes" – a major symptom of perimenopause and menopause. She also suffered from "heavy periods and heavy fatigue", both of which are common symptoms that many women experience.
Beth eventually found a doctor who helped her. "She has been a game changer for me and helped me figure out what was changing in my body."
"It wasn't a great feeling of joy to find out my symptoms were related to perimenopause, but it was a relief that it wasn't something more serious. And comforting to finally have answers."
Beth's openness about perimenopause shines a light on the growing number of women experiencing perimenopause earlier than expected. Celebrities like Naomi Watts and Halle Berry have spoken out about navigating menopause in their 30s.
Perimenopause can happen much earlier than many realize, particularly for women with health conditions like PCOS or autoimmune diseases, and symptoms like irregular or heavy periods, mood swings, and hot flashes are often mistaken for other issues or dismissed entirely by healthcare providers.
Beth felt compelled to share her perimenopause story ahead of her 40th birthday as a reminder of how important it is for women to advocate for themselves and their wellbeing. She hopes her openness will empower other women to push for answers and to "help women realise they aren't alone with the changes they are going through."
"I’m owning who I am now, and I’m empowered by it," she notes. "I feel like I've finally gotten a little bit of control, even though part of it is letting go of the control," she added.