When a mother says ‘I can’t sleep well,’ she may be sharing a ‘hard-to-speak’ secret.

Most of the time, it's easy to hear people around us say, "I've been feeling unwell lately, having trouble sleeping," but what they

Most of the time, it’s easy to hear people around us say, “I’ve been feeling unwell lately, having trouble sleeping,” but what they might be reluctant to say is, “I’ve been experiencing menstrual irregularities, insomnia, and irritability lately, possibly entering menopause.”

When you were young, you might have heard the grandmothers and aunts from the neighborhood quietly complain about “hot flashes” and “insomnia,” never expecting that as time goes by,even your own mother and you in the future will have to face this day.

At some point, the term “menopause” has been completely stigmatized, becoming a synonym for “irritable, angry, and affecting family harmony,” yetturning a blind eye to the suffering that women silently endure behind these negative descriptions.

As a result, “menopause” is increasingly labeled as “embarrassing” and “shameful,” making many women feel embarrassed to face it and seek help,missing the opportunity to make their lives better.

Menopause is not a disease,

nor should it be stigmatized

In 2024, The Lancet published the ‘Menopause series’, advocating for a change in the stereotypes about menopause, viewing menopause as a part of healthy aging, and warning against the over-medicalization of menopause to help women go through menopause smoothly.

Menopause is a popular term. In 1994, the World Health Organization（WHO）recommended replacing the term “menopause” with “perimenopause” to better describe this stage.