Katherine Heigl, the Emmy-winning actress known for her iconic roles in Grey's Anatomy and the classic comedy 27 Dresses, is tackling an issue many women face but often shy away from discussing during perimenopause: light bladder leakage.
Partnering with the bladder leak sanitary pad brand, Poise, in their new fun and relatable "giggle dribble" campaign, the mom of 3 is embracing perimenopause with humor and grace while encouraging all of us to do the same.
"Giggle dribble" or the accidental release of urine is an experience shared by millions, and is often brought on by childbirth, aging, or perimenopause. And during the campaign, Katherine is at brunch with a friend and her 10-year-old son when a fit of laughter leads her friend to have "giggle dribble".
Katherine quickly turns the funny and relatable moment into an educational one, explaining that hormonal changes in childbirth and perimenopause can weaken the pelvic floor. When quizzed about why she knows so much about it, Katherine - who won an Emmy award in 2007 for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on Grey's - cheekily replies that she "used to be a doctor" before offering her friend a Poise liner.
Katherine’s aim is to encourage women to support each other throughout perimenopause by laughing and connecting. The 46-year-old explains during an exclusive interview with People, that she found it frustrating that her doctors offered her little support and advice while navigating perimenopause, and hopes that women open up and seek solace in their friendships during what can be an overwhelming time.
"You're kind of alone in it. You're like, 'What's going on with me? What's going on with my body?' And the response is to it like, 'Oh, this is just what it is to get older.' Your body is suddenly completely a stranger to you and you don't know what it's doing or why."
© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I"Why can’t we just talk about it? It’s a natural part of being a woman", she explains. "I want to normalize conversations about topics that are still seen as taboo."
I want to normalize conversations about topics that are still seen as taboo.
Reflecting on her first experience with bladder leaks after childbirth, Katherine shared: "I was kind of just like, 'Oh, excuse me, I'm going to need to go change my underwear.' I kind of just laughed through it versus felt shame. But then you start going through perimenopause and it's just all falling apart. So you just have to embrace it."
ALSO READ: What a menopause expert want you to know about bladder weakness
She humorously recounted a conversation with her sister: "She was giving me crap the other day like, 'Oh God, how long is this perimenopause thing going to be with you?' I was like, 'You know what? It could be 10 years, so you're just going to suck it up.'"
© Getty"The ups and downs in mood, the fatigue, the brain fog, all these things that you're like, 'This isn't me.' And I don't know what to do about it. I just want to have my energy back and my clarity, and you're trying to kind of hide it because you don't want everyone to see you as this overly exhausted moody bitch."
Katherine's candor about perimenopause reflects a larger movement among women who are reclaiming the narratives as they age.
DISCOVER: 7 women share their honest response to hormone therapy in menopause
Finding solace in shared experiences, Katherine notes: "Just having someone else who's going through it or having similar experiences so that you feel like, okay, it's not just me. It's kind of universal, which is why I feel strongly that there should be more proactive help for all of us women going through this."
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