'I thought it was a really bad joke' - Penélope Cruz reveals the perimenopause symptom that shocked her at 41
In a chat with Olivia Wilde for the pair's upcoming film, they discussed the perimenopause symptoms they wish they'd known about earlier
A-lister Penélope Cruz became one of the first celebrities to speak openly about menopause when she discussed her symptoms and debunked myths during a press tour in 2018. "There are too many taboos surrounding women's bodies, and I think it equals a big lack of respect," she told Tatler magazine.
Now in 2026, Penélope Cruz and Olivia Wilde star in The Invite, a comedy about a married couple (Olivia and Seth Rogen) in a struggling marriage who invite their upstairs neighbours (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) to dinner.
Along with questions about sex and relationships, a key topic in the film, the stars revealed to Allure magazine what they wish they'd known about perimenopause symptoms when they were younger.
Penélope is the first to answer. "That it can last 10, 12 years," she replies. "It can start as early as 40. The ups and downs can be crazy. I remember when I was 41, and my doctor told me: 'Your hormones are going to be doing this crazy dance for the next 10 or 12 years'. And I thought it was a really bad joke."
The star reveals that she developed a cyst in her ovaries almost every month and still does. "They spike hormones, so you can go from a number 30 of oestrogen to a number 500, and they would look at that and go: 'No, this is a mistake from the lab, so let's repeat the test', and it was right," she says.
Despite still getting her period every month, the 52-year-old says her hormones are up and down every month. It's something she wants women to know, to prepare themselves.
"A lot of people have this idea that it's going to be about hot flashes," she says. "That has never happened to me."
Penélope credits bioidentical hormones (a type of HRT treatment) with helping her handle the symptoms and impact of perimenopause on her body. These hormones are made in a lab and are chemically identical to the hormones we naturally produce, so they can be effective in treating certain symptoms.
Olivia Wilde, 42, also reveals that it was during the filming of The Invite that she learned about frozen shoulder from Penélope's character. This is another common symptom of menopause, where the connective tissue around the shoulder is painfully inflamed and feels tight.
Menopause is a key theme in the film, woven into the script as a way to explore female pleasure, intimacy, and the reality of long-term marriage, as the characters discuss how hormonal changes have affected one of the characters.
Sex, non-monogamy, and long-term relationships are also key, and the two didn't hold back on these topics either, revealing that renowned sex therapist Esther Perel was a consultant on the film.
In the interview, the stars were asked how often is normal to have sex in a long-term relationship. "That is like a different universe for each person and each couple," says Penélope.
Olivia cites the therapist when she says, "it's not normal to not have sex", but there doesn't need to be a number in mind.
