Sherri Shepherd is the latest celebrity to share her experience with perimenopause, joining other well-known figures like Halle Berry and Oprah Winfrey in discussing the stage before menopause.
Perimenopause occurs when hormones begin to decline, leading to symptoms like hot flashes and irregular menstrual cycles. This stage typically starts in women’s mid-40s. At 57, Shepherd took the opportunity to talk about her experience with “the menopause before the menopause” on the March 27 episode of her talk show, Sherri. She had previously touched on the natural decline of reproductive hormones in a 2024 episode.
Shepherd shared that her body continues to surprise her. “My anatomy is still playing tricks on me,” she said. “Every time I go to the doctor and think we’ve got it figured out, something else comes up.” That “something else” was hot flashes, and a doctor later confirmed she was experiencing perimenopause.
On the show, executive producer Jawn Murray joked that perimenopause is when women “get a little mean” and mentioned Shepherd’s mother. Shepherd quickly responded, “We take a lot of umbrage when you say we ‘get mean.’ It’s just our hormones changing. It’s estrogen, it’s testosterone. And we’re trying to figure out where we fit in this new body.”
Shepherd also shared some of the physical changes she’s dealing with, like “chin hairs,” humorously adding that she might “look like Sasquatch from the chin up” when menopause arrives.
She also surprised her audience by revealing that she had lost a tooth, calling it her “Queen Latootha.” She joked that when menopause comes, she’ll be “nothing but gums.” According to the National Library of Medicine, this type of tooth loss, known as edentulism, is linked to a decrease in bone density due to lower estrogen levels. The risk of gum disease also increases during perimenopause.
Although she’s experiencing symptoms of perimenopause, Shepherd is still menstruating and can “still get pregnant.” She remarked, “I don’t know what this is. I [have to] hurry up and get to post-menopause because I’m heated and defeated.”
For those going through similar experiences, Shepherd could join Halle Berry’s Respin online community to connect with other women navigating perimenopause.
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