[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":255},["ShallowReactive",2],{"post-the-village-i-wish-my-mother-had-menopause-stigma":3,"related-posts-the-village-i-wish-my-mother-had-menopause-stigma":229},{"author":4,"body":5,"content":218,"excerpt":218,"keywords":218,"mainImage":219,"publishedAt":218,"shortDescription":224,"slug":225,"tags":218,"thumbnailImage":226,"title":228},"",[6,19,26,34,42,50,58,66,74,82,90,98,105,114,121,141,149,157,165,172,180,187,195,203,211],{"_key":7,"_type":8,"children":9,"markDefs":17,"style":18},"1efc8097a7a8","block",[10],{"_key":11,"_type":12,"marks":13,"text":16},"94a817d7aa6b","span",[14,15],"em","strong","By Nazanin Reihani, Co-Founder of My Village",[],"normal",{"_key":20,"_type":8,"children":21,"markDefs":25,"style":18},"693b3e97c18d",[22],{"_key":23,"_type":12,"marks":24,"text":4},"7f41b724a5f3",[],[],{"_key":27,"_type":8,"children":28,"markDefs":33,"style":18},"af16965e632e",[29],{"_key":30,"_type":12,"marks":31,"text":32},"6095cfa0c2d2",[],"I was eight or nine years old when my mother went into the hospital.",[],{"_key":35,"_type":8,"children":36,"markDefs":41,"style":18},"93f308db6fe1",[37],{"_key":38,"_type":12,"marks":39,"text":40},"0f92f02cc28d",[],"Nobody told me why.",[],{"_key":43,"_type":8,"children":44,"markDefs":49,"style":18},"537616f3c1ae",[45],{"_key":46,"_type":12,"marks":47,"text":48},"ef81c6514835",[],"I remember being terrified. Not because of anything I had been told, but because of what nobody was saying. I knew something serious was happening. Adults were whispering. My mother was gone. And in my child's mind, I became convinced that something life-threatening was happening and that she might not come home.",[],{"_key":51,"_type":8,"children":52,"markDefs":57,"style":18},"64ea076f6876",[53],{"_key":54,"_type":12,"marks":55,"text":56},"a28002e8b59f",[],"While she was in the hospital, my father took me to a bookstore. He bought me books and magazines and read them with me at my grandparents' house. Looking back, I understand what he was trying to do. He was trying to distract me. But at the time, the distraction only reinforced the feeling that something was wrong.",[],{"_key":59,"_type":8,"children":60,"markDefs":65,"style":18},"4ed6bb1be401",[61],{"_key":62,"_type":12,"marks":63,"text":64},"fba2326c101e",[],"When my mother came home, life simply continued. Nobody explained what had happened. Nobody talked about it.",[],{"_key":67,"_type":8,"children":68,"markDefs":73,"style":18},"d3e5b0090ad8",[69],{"_key":70,"_type":12,"marks":71,"text":72},"d7fceafe5375",[],"Years later, when I was around fifteen, one of my teachers was absent from school after having surgery to remove her uterus. I mentioned it to my mother, and that's when she casually told me she had gone through the same surgery years earlier.",[],{"_key":75,"_type":8,"children":76,"markDefs":81,"style":18},"d6bb2664f487",[77],{"_key":78,"_type":12,"marks":79,"text":80},"26837c283aa8",[],"I was stunned.",[],{"_key":83,"_type":8,"children":84,"markDefs":89,"style":18},"818a31f1d2eb",[85],{"_key":86,"_type":12,"marks":87,"text":88},"9762a9e5888e",[],"Not because of the surgery itself, but because of the silence surrounding it.",[],{"_key":91,"_type":8,"children":92,"markDefs":97,"style":18},"f40ed6f84a55",[93],{"_key":94,"_type":12,"marks":95,"text":96},"d5718776633b",[],"I grew up in a culture where topics related to women's reproductive health were rarely discussed openly. The intention was probably to protect children, preserve privacy, or avoid uncomfortable conversations. But for me, that silence created fear where understanding could have existed.",[],{"_key":99,"_type":8,"children":100,"markDefs":104,"style":18},"72e1cdb70241",[101],{"_key":102,"_type":12,"marks":103,"text":4},"97bdc43af83a",[],[],{"_key":106,"_type":8,"children":107,"markDefs":112,"style":113},"6a3542fc5797",[108],{"_key":109,"_type":12,"marks":110,"text":111},"71cc1297995a",[14],"I wasn't upset that my mother had surgery. I was frustrated that nobody trusted me with a simple explanation. Those few days were incredibly difficult because my imagination filled in the blanks. A conversation could have changed everything.",[],"blockquote",{"_key":115,"_type":8,"children":116,"markDefs":120,"style":18},"1a9b68c599dc",[117],{"_key":118,"_type":12,"marks":119,"text":4},"e394bc826748",[],[],{"_key":122,"_type":8,"children":123,"markDefs":137,"style":18},"4c029ccf6f71",[124,128,133],{"_key":125,"_type":12,"marks":126,"text":127},"6178ffff49c8",[],"What stayed with me wasn't the medical procedure. It was the realization that so many women go through major changes in their bodies while the people around them struggle to talk about them. That silence is not rare. Globally, 72% of women going through menopause have hidden their symptoms at some point, even from the people closest to them. (",{"_key":129,"_type":12,"marks":130,"text":132},"d98f9a1b02fc",[131],"559644a8e26e","Catalyst",{"_key":134,"_type":12,"marks":135,"text":136},"de0fa0028b54",[],")",[138],{"_key":131,"_type":139,"href":140},"link","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.catalyst.org\u002Fabout\u002Fnewsroom\u002F2024\u002Fmenopause-workplace-support-global",{"_key":142,"_type":8,"children":143,"markDefs":148,"style":18},"a7cc2565d135",[144],{"_key":145,"_type":12,"marks":146,"text":147},"984c319dba57",[],"My mother came home and carried on as if nothing had happened. But looking back, I wonder what she carried privately. What questions she had. What information she lacked. Who she could talk to. Whether she had a community that understood what she was experiencing.",[],{"_key":150,"_type":8,"children":151,"markDefs":156,"style":18},"5f311253dc85",[152],{"_key":153,"_type":12,"marks":154,"text":155},"670aabdd79c9",[],"That's the gap that eventually led to My Village.",[],{"_key":158,"_type":8,"children":159,"markDefs":164,"style":18},"120baf9a890b",[160],{"_key":161,"_type":12,"marks":162,"text":163},"8eaa5106292e",[],"Because no woman should have to navigate major life transitions in silence. And no daughter should have to be left guessing about what is happening to someone she loves.",[],{"_key":166,"_type":8,"children":167,"markDefs":171,"style":18},"5d610ed6021c",[168],{"_key":169,"_type":12,"marks":170,"text":4},"7ec46d078616",[],[],{"_key":173,"_type":8,"children":174,"markDefs":179,"style":113},"3cc3703f76d4",[175],{"_key":176,"_type":12,"marks":177,"text":178},"c1944ac0a0ba",[14],"I dream of a future where menopause is treated as a normal part of life; something women can discuss openly, understand confidently, and navigate with support. A future where information is accessible. Families have language for these conversations. Communities exist. Questions are welcomed.",[],{"_key":181,"_type":8,"children":182,"markDefs":186,"style":18},"b198470df2de",[183],{"_key":184,"_type":12,"marks":185,"text":4},"ea15fe366bd4",[],[],{"_key":188,"_type":8,"children":189,"markDefs":194,"style":18},"ae6ab062a198",[190],{"_key":191,"_type":12,"marks":192,"text":193},"00f2a2438721",[],"A future where silence is replaced with understanding.",[],{"_key":196,"_type":8,"children":197,"markDefs":202,"style":18},"3588a3a5200c",[198],{"_key":199,"_type":12,"marks":200,"text":201},"17aad2f39f3a",[],"That's the village I wish my mother had.",[],{"_key":204,"_type":8,"children":205,"markDefs":210,"style":18},"5051e58509d4",[206],{"_key":207,"_type":12,"marks":208,"text":209},"d961b953b480",[],"And that's the village we're building.",[],{"_key":212,"_type":8,"children":213,"markDefs":217,"style":18},"2bfb068a75d3",[214],{"_key":215,"_type":12,"marks":216,"text":4},"66ed944bfb05",[],[],null,{"_type":220,"asset":221},"image",{"_ref":222,"_type":223},"image-c0991464f130d176f7e3f5639dec65d5c6174c91-5774x3736-jpg","reference","My Village co-founder, Nazanin, reflects on growing up surrounded by silence around women's health, and why she believes it shouldn't be hidden, but understood, supported, and talked about openly.","the-village-i-wish-my-mother-had-menopause-stigma",{"_type":220,"asset":227},{"_ref":222,"_type":223},"The Village I Wish My Mother Had",[230,238,248],{"keywords":218,"mainImage":231,"publishedAt":218,"shortDescription":235,"slug":236,"tags":218,"title":237},{"_type":220,"asset":232,"caption":234},{"_ref":233,"_type":223},"image-cf7ba96d9ad8f6847f9f873393b93c6c3a234b99-1248x832-jpg","Supporting women in perimenopause and menopause at work","Perimenopause and menopause are costing organizations their most experienced talent. Learn why workplaces need to normalize this conversation, what employers and HR leaders can do right now, and where to find free resources across North America and globally. ","menopause-perimenopause-workplace-support","Perimenopause and Menopause at Work: Why Normalizing This Conversation Is Good for Everyone",{"keywords":218,"mainImage":239,"publishedAt":218,"shortDescription":243,"slug":244,"tags":245,"title":247},{"_type":220,"asset":240,"caption":242},{"_ref":241,"_type":223},"image-1910f3a466d408dbecef3bfa1ae1ae54f0282359-1461x1076-png","Practical tips for preparing for appointments, asking the right questions, and making sure your concerns are heard.","Dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told you're \"too young\"? You're not alone. Here's how to prepare for appointments, ask the right questions, and make sure your perimenopause symptoms are actually heard.","advocating-for-yourself-at-the-doctor-s-office",[246],"Empowerment","Advocating for Yourself at the Doctor's Office",{"keywords":218,"mainImage":249,"publishedAt":218,"shortDescription":252,"slug":253,"tags":218,"title":254},{"_type":220,"asset":250},{"_ref":251,"_type":223},"image-744cd484f78e9e15558fc692c631ee9b9dfbda14-1264x842-png","A My Village co-founder spent years being told her test results were inconclusive. Broken sleep, weight gain, heart palpitations, and brain fog, yet nobody mentioned perimenopause. Her story of falling through the gaps of women's health, and what changed when someone finally listened.","nobody-said-the-word-hormones-perimenopause-and-insomnia","Nobody Said the Word Hormones",1783440887043]