Actress and Director Joan Iyiola first realized something was wrong after experiencing sudden, heavy bleeding while on stage. What followed were years of pain, anemia, and repeated dismissal from doctors before finally receiving proper care and undergoing surgery. The experience, she explained, left her feeling invisible and unheard until she found a specialist who listened and gave her a path forward.
Out of that journey came MANGO, her directorial debut. The film, now screening at festivals worldwide, captures the physical and emotional toll of fibroids and the silence many women face around their health. For Iyiola, telling this story on screen was a way to reclaim her experience and spark overdue conversations about women’s health.
She now joins the voices of other women, including Lupita Nyong’o and Venus Williams, who have recently shared their fibroid journeys publicly. With MANGO, Iyiola hopes to bring these conversations into the mainstream and push for greater awareness of a condition that affects millions.
Read more about Joan Iyiola’s fibroid journey in British Vogue here.