Drew Barrymore’s Dead Fish’ Moment Is Sparking a Bigger Conversation About Menopause — And Why Women Don’t Have to Suffer Through It

When Drew Barrymore compared herself to a “dead fish” on national television, the moment was funny, unfiltered, and instantly relatable to millions of women navigating the confusing, often isolating reality of perimenopause.

“I am so bloated that I feel like some carp that got brought up to the beach and I’m just that dead fish,” Barrymore said on a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, before revealing she had just gotten her period after nearly a full year without one, delaying official menopause.

“I got it. I’m at 11 months. So I go back down to zero,” she said of the countdown.

“I feel unattractive and I’m so hormonal and nothing makes sense and I’m irritable and I’m bloated and I am emotionally unstable,” she said, and that candid frustration captured what many women experience but rarely say out loud.

Experts say what Barrymore described isn’t unusual, it’s textbook perimenopause.

“What she’s experiencing is classic perimenopause,” said Dr. Michelle Sands, a licensed naturopathic physician and menopause expert. “Estrogen and progesterone fluctuate unpredictably, which impacts fluid retention, digestion, inflammation, and even brain chemistry. That’s why so many women feel bloated, off, and completely disconnected from their bodies.”

Those shifts can ripple far beyond physical symptoms.

“Relationships can suffer due to low libido, reactivity, and body image struggles. And in the workplace, brain fog, fatigue, and poor sleep can affect focus and performance — often during a woman’s peak career years,” Sands said.

“Up to 70% of women experience these symptoms,” she said. “Many women don’t feel like themselves — and that starts to impact everything.”

One of the most persistent myths around menopause is that suffering through it is simply part of aging.

“Myth: Perimenopause symptoms like weight gain, brain fog, anxiety, low libido, and poor sleep are just a normal part of aging that women have to tolerate,” said Dr. Amie Hornaman, author of the forthcoming book “The Thyroid Fix.” She added that “while perimenopause is a natural transition, suffering through it is not.”

Hornaman points to a growing range of treatment options, from hormone therapy to targeted lifestyle changes.

“From bioidentical hormone therapy to targeted nutrition, sleep support, strength training, and nervous system regulation, women have far more control than they’ve been led to believe. If your symptoms are impacting your quality of life, that’s your body asking for support, not something to ignore,” Hornaman said.

“If your symptoms are impacting your quality of life, that’s your body asking for support, not something to ignore,” she said. “Perimenopause is inevitable. Feeling miserable through it is not!”

Part of the confusion, experts say, comes from how little many women are told about the timeline itself.

“A common myth is that perimenopause is the immediate time before your period stops, in reality it can last for years so it is always appropriate to discuss with your doctor,” said Dr. Susan Marie Pacana, a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon and OB/Gyn at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

“Hormone levels in perimenopause may not reflect symptoms that women are experiencing, most times hormone levels are normal,” she said. While testing doesn’t always provide clear answers right away, when they do, she says patients should not fear treatment.

“Fear of taking hormones stops many perimenopausal women from receiving treatment,” Pacana said, “but it is one the best options to treat symptoms and ease the transition to menopause.”