Kim Cattrall's First Brush With Menopause Was As Samantha On ‘Sex And The City'

When Samantha Jones was going through menopause on "Sex and the City," Kim Cattrall studied up: she consulted with her doctor so as to better depict the process onscreen. Two years later, the actress found herself returning to that same doctor as she experienced her own personal journey through menopause, which was notably more dramatic than that of her character.

"My first brush with menopause was actually as Samantha Jones, because she was going through her first hot flash experience and it was incorporated into an episode of 'Sex and the City,'" she told HuffPost Live's Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani in a Wednesday interview.

"I'm a pretty diligent actress -- I wanted to portray this part of her life very truthfully and I went to my doctor at the time and I said 'Listen, I have this storyline, how can you help me make this real and truthful?'" the actress recalled.

Her doctor listed some of the symptoms -- particularly hot flashes -- which Cattrall brought to the screen, capturing "the scene successfully." But not long thereafter, Cattrall realized that her life was imitating the very art she had created.

"I was actually having Kim's first hot flash, and it was nothing like Samantha's," she remembered. "It was quite earth shaking. It was like being put in a vat of boiling water."

She returned to her doctor for more advice, this time for her own personal use.

"I said, I think I need to know more," she recalled. "I really think I need to tune into what's going on with my body now."

It's safe to assume Cattrall's done just that; the actress is now a spokesperson for "Tune Into Menopause," campaign, designed to inspire women to embrace this time in their life.

Watch more of Kim Cattrall's conversation with HuffPost Live here.

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