Gal Gadot, the world-famous Israeli actress, has disclosed that she faced a really scary medical emergency while she was pregnant this year.
The actress, who is well known for playing the title role in the action/adventure 2017 movie, Wonder Woman made the disclosure in a post she shared on Instagram on Sunday. Gadot revealed that that she was actually diagnosed with “a massive blood clot” in her brain about eight months into her most recent pregnancy.
Talking about the developed, Gal Gadot explained, in her Instagram caption, that 2024 had been a year “of profound challenges and deep reflections.” She went on to reveal that detailing her experience was her way of “pulling back the curtain on the fragile reality behind the curated moments we share on social media” and also a way of raising awareness and supporting others facing similar conditions.
The actress went on to share the diagnosis she received while pregnant with her daughter Ori, whose birth she announced in March 2024.
Se wrote: “In February, during my eighth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed with a massive blood clot in my brain. 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.”
The actress explained that after the diagnosis, she rushed to the hospital where she was made to undergo a emergency surgery. She then revealed her daughter’s name which means ‘light’ was not chosen just by chance but because of what happened.
She wrote: “My daughter, Ori, was born during that moment of uncertainty and fear. Her name, meaning ‘my light,’ wasn’t chosen by chance. Before the surgery, I told Jaron that when our daughter arrived, she would be the light waiting for me at the end of this tunnel”.
Going on, Gal Gadot expressed her gratitude to the team of doctors who cared for her at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. She wrote: “Today, I am fully healed and filled with gratitude for the life I’ve been given back,” she wrote.
Gal Gadot also reflected on the experience, emphasizing that “it’s vital to listen to our bodies and trust what it’s telling us.” This is because, according to her, “pain, discomfort, or even subtle changes often carry deeper meaning, and being attuned to your body can be life saving”.
The actress also went on to explain that even though her medical condition, cerebral venous thrombosis, is “rare,” it is crucial to “identify early because it’s treatable.”
For the record, StatPearls, an online resource which is published in the National Library of Medicine states that “Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), which involves thrombosis of the cerebral veins and dural sinuses, is a rare condition that can result in significant morbidity and mortality.”
CVT can present as severe headaches, brain bleeding, confusion, seizures, and/or symptoms resembling a stroke. It can disrupt the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, causing increased pressure in the brain, which can lead to brain swelling and/or bleeding.
StatPearls also notes that CVT “occurs three times more frequently in women than in men.” The website states that “this is thought to be due to gender-specific risk factors, for example, oral contraceptive use and, less frequently, pregnancy, puerperium, and hormone replacement therapy”.
CVT is typically diagnosed through brain imaging, and treatment may involve blood thinners or, in more severe cases, surgical procedures to remove the blood clot.
In her Instagram post on Sunday, the actress explained that she decided to share her experience “to empower” others. She wrote: “I had no idea that 3 in 100,000 pregnant women in the 30s+ age group are diagnosed with CVT (develop a blood clot in the brain)…knowing it exists is the first step to addressing it.”
It is noteworthy that, in addition to their newborn baby, Ori, the actress, Gal Gadot and her husband Jaron Varsano are also parents to three other daughters called Alma, Maya and Daniella.
