Katherine Heigl's candid bathroom confession praised
One of Hollywood's biggest stars has been praised for throwing her weight behind a health topic that is typically considered taboo.
Katherine Heigl, known for her roles in Grey's Anatomy, Firefly Lane and 27 Dresses, has teamed up with healthcare brand Poise to speak about bladder leakage and perimenopause.
In a video shared to Instagram, Heigl speaks directly to her Australian fans.
'As you know, I am not one to shy away from speaking out and so now I am speaking directly to you,' she said.
'When Poise came to me and said that the prevalence of bladder leakage is even higher in Australia with two in three women over 25 experiencing what I like to call the old 'giggle dribble' I wanted to do a special call out to my fans Down Under.
'Those post-partum or perimenopause bladder leaks are so common but often not talked about and so I thought this was an excellent opportunity to get outspoke once again. I don't want a single woman out there to feel alone in this experience or to feel shame or embarrassment. I refuse to let a little giggle dribble stop me from doing everything it means to be a woman and a mother.'
Heigl, 46, said that was why she was excited to bring her Poise campaign to Australian televisions — and women who have seen it have praised the actress for her openness.
'I was thrilled to see a pretty and popular actress talking about this so openly on TV. I mean the bar is low right now, but, hearing her say 'perimenopause' AND speak so openly about leaks and peri in front of her male child in the commercial is a step in the right direction IMO,' one viewer said.
Another said: 'Obsessed with Katherine Heigl! Love that she is talking about such a taboo topic, go Poise!'
'Great to see this topic being spoken about more openly,' one added.
One social media user chimed in: 'Hard relate!'
'Such an important issue,' another agreed.
Heigl went on share more about her own experience with bladder leakage, with the Emmy Award winner revealing her first experience with it happened after the birth of her son Joshua in 2017.
'I was just like, 'Oh, excuse me, I'm going to need to go change my underwear'. I kind of just laughed through it versus feeling shame. But then you start going through perimenopause and it's just all falling apart. So you just have to embrace it,' she said.
She reiterated that she wasn't OK with anyone feeling any kind of shame or embarrassment around it as it's a natural part of being a woman.
'And it's such a blessing to have a product that can support you through that,' she said.
'Just having someone else who's going through it or having similar experiences makes you feel like, okay, it's not just me. It's kind of universal – which is why I feel strongly that there should be more proactive help for all of us women going through this.'
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