Viola Davis describes the 'hell' of menopause to Jimmy Kimmel

In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51

Viola Davis has spoken about the realities of menopause, describing it as “hell” and a “dark hole”.

The 53-year-old gave her description of the menopause during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday.

“When you talk about anything, especially dealing with menopause or breasts, men just die a slow death,” she told the host, receiving laughter from several female members of the audience.

When asked to define the menopause, Davis stared at the host with a blank look on her face.

“Menopause is hell,” she stated.

“Menopause is a dark hole, okay? That's what menopause is. And that's where I'm at right now. So I either will love my husband today or kill him today.”

When questioned how long the menopause lasts, the Oscar-winner replied: “You know what, someone needs to tell me because it's last now for about six, seven years.”

The How To Get Away With Murder actress told Kimmel that she had recently become more distracted as a result of what she believes to be the menopause.

The actress recalled a situation when her husband, Julius Tenno, discovered that she had accidentally placed a bowl in the fridge instead of the sink.

Fellow Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow recently revealed she’s experiencing symptoms of the perimenopause, a precursor to menopause in which the ovaries gradually begin making less oestrogen.

As a result, the actress said she is determined to “rebrand” the menopause.

”I think menopause gets a really bad rap and needs a bit of a rebranding,” she explained in a video for her lifestyle brand, Goop, in November 2018.

“I don’t think we have in our society a great example of an aspirational menopausal woman."

The menopause is a natural part of ageing that usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, as a woman's oestrogen levels decline, states the NHS.

In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51.

Symptoms can last up to four years after a woman’s last period but varies depending on the case.

Problems with memory and concentration is a common symptom of the menopause, as are hot flushes, night sweats, low mood, difficulty sleeping and vaginal dryness.

To read more about the symptoms of the menopause, find out more here.