Misty Copeland has opened up about dealing with perimenopause.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Copeland spoke about “dealing with issues like acne, brain fog, and struggling to sleep through the night.”
“I just assumed that it comes with the territory,” she says. “And I think I was in denial about being in this phase of my life. I feel like a lot of women my age don’t wanna talk about it… And, like, it’s okay to accept and have the conversations and be really thoughtful about them.”
Copeland said she “rolled her eyes” when her best friend talked about perimenopause. Now she’s “ready for the conversations.”
“I think one thing that I have learned just from being a dancer is accepting the changes that naturally happen in my body,” Copeland explained. “You get older, you go through injury, you don’t have the same body that you had at 13. Just being able to really be grounded and in touch with who I am and those changes.”
‘So it’s been similar, I think, in how I’m kind of approaching [perimenopause], how I’m respecting and giving myself grace as I experience these changes,” she continued.
Copeland is also partnering with Thorne, a wellness company, to promote a women’s health campaign to introduce its science-backed product, Perimenopause Complete.
“It’s nice to have support and not feel embarrassed or ashamed that you’re going through these things as a woman,” she continues. “It makes me think about when you’re a teenager and getting your period. And it’s like, why are we hiding our freaking tampons? This is a part of what we go through as women, and it’s beautiful, and it’s normal.”
Copeland says she’s moving toward getting back to her best self by embracing perimenopause.
“Being able to name it and understand what’s happening internally has been really, really helpful and made me feel more in control and more grounded,” she says. “I love this place that I’m at, and it feels really good.”