Gabrielle Union Opens Up About Feeling “Defective” During Her Perimenopause Journey: “All Of It Can Feel Very Isolating And You Can Feel Like Less Than A Woman”

Gabrielle Union addresses the changes she endured during her perimenopause journey.

In a recent conversation with PEOPLE magazine, the actress shared her experiences navigating the challenges of perimenopause, highlighting her use of her platform to inspire and support others. Following a comprehensive blood panel examination, which she wasn’t entirely familiar with at the time, Union received the diagnosis that she was in the stage of perimenopause.

Union candidly acknowledged that her most significant challenge was dealing with hair loss, although it was just one of several symptoms she experienced during this period.

“All of it can feel very isolating and you can feel like less of a woman, especially as a Black woman where our hair is our crown. There’s literally the CROWN Act and I’m like, uh, my crown looks more like a barrette at this moment,” she added. “It was the hot flashes, the night sweats that could happen at any time of day, brain fog, mood changes, ongoing sadness, anxiety that felt more like terror, hair loss, and then random weight gain. That’s when it really hit home for me.”

She continued, “You just feel defective, right? You could be short with people, you could be super irritable, you could be just really sad, which some of those things may add up to people wanting to pull away from you or having extra commentary about your mood or how you are being.”

As a result, Union is now an ambassador for Clearblue’s newest product, the Menopause Stage Indicator, a combination of a urine test and a health tracking app designed to assist women in determining their menopause stage.

“I’m going to do my best to make sure that women have resources and options and can learn new ways of advocating for themselves,” she said.