Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot is the proud mother of four daughters. She loves being a mom and previously talked about how much she enjoyed being pregnant. “I love giving birth. I would do it once a week if I could,” she told InStyle magazine back in 2022, before adding, “But the pregnancies are hard for me—I feel sick and have migraines.”
Unfortunately, those migraines seemed to signal something worse was on the horizon. In 2024 Gadot was carrying her fourth daughter, Ori, but there was a complication which ended up being life-threatening. Gadot developed a blood clot on the brain, a condition known as CVT, and had to undergo emergency surgery. Now, the actress is speaking about it on her Instagram account to raise awareness about the issue.
“In February, during my eighth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed with a massive blood clot in my brain,” Gadot wrote to her followers. “For weeks, I had endured excruciating headaches that confined me to bed, until I finally underwent an MRI that revealed the terrifying truth. In one moment, my family and I were faced with how fragile life can be. It was a stark reminder of how quickly everything can change, and in the midst of a difficult year, all I wanted was to hold on and live.”
Gadot was rushed into surgery and Ori was born “during that moment of uncertainty and fear.” But without the doctors and nurses at Cedars-Sinai the outcome might have been very different, and Gadot made sure to thank them in her post.
“Today, I am fully healed and filled with gratitude for the life I’ve been given back,” she wrote. “The journey has taught me so much. First, it’s vital to listen to our bodies and trust what it’s telling us. Pain, discomfort, or even subtle changes often carry deeper meaning, and being attuned to your body can be life saving.”
Then she pointed out that a pregnant person aged 30+ had a 3 in 100,000 chance of being diagnosed with CVT. That may not seem like a lot, but it’s still a significant statistic. “It’s so important to identify early because it’s treatable. While rare, it’s a possibility, and knowing it exists is the first step to addressing it,” Gadot said.
Her message has resonated with many people. Multiple fans posted messages of support in the Instagram comments, as did Gadot’s fellow celebrities. Her Justice League co-star Jason Momoa wrote, “oh mama we love u,” with a host of heart emojis, and January Jones and Sacha Baron Cohen posted heart emojis as well.
Support also came in from famous women who themselves had difficult pregnancies. Gwyneth Paltrow posted, “Thank you for sharing this, I am so happy you are okay.” Paltrow revealed in 2021 that her pregnancies were life-threatening. “I had a really rough first trimesters as well and I wish more people had told me how hard it can be,” she said on Instagram Stories in 2023. “I had a lot of people in my life who were like, ‘I feel amazing pregnant!’ and I felt so terrible.”
Another woman who commented on Gadot’s post was model Christy Turlington. “Thank you for sharing your story @gal_gadot,” she wrote. “It helps to prove how important it is to ensure equitable access to lifesaving maternity care.” Turlington is a devoted advocate for maternal health and in 2010 launched a nonprofit, Every Mother Counts, that works to improve childbirth around the world. She started this work after experiencing a difficult pregnancy herself, and has had great success with it.
Hopefully, Gadot’s post and the wave of support she received will alert more pregnant people to be aware of what headaches can signal. As Paltrow indicated with her 2023 remarks, more people need to know just how difficult pregnancy can be.
Published: Dec 30, 2024 08:54 am