Each time Meghan Markle bravely opened up over her health scares
The royal hopes opening up will raise awareness…
Meghan Markle has opened up about various health scares over the years, raising awareness over important mental and physical conditions.
The Duchess of Sussex‘s most recent health battle included her sharing details of a ‘huge health scare’ when she was pregnant.
We take a look at the royal’s medical issues that she’s previously spoken out about.
Meghan Markle spoke of a huge health scare on her podcast (Credit: Cover Images)
Inside Meghan Markle’s health scares – pregnancy to suicidal thoughts
Meghan Markle’s ‘huge medical scare’ while pregnant
The mum-of-two recently opened up over an incident during the first episode of her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder.
The royal revealed she had suffered from postpartum preeclampsia, a serious condition that affects people after labour. If not properly managed, it can lead to severe complications such as strokes, seizures and thromboembolism.
On her podcast, the royal said: “We both had very similar experiences – thought we didn’t know each other at the time – with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia. It’s so rare and so scary.”
“And you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly. And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people – mostly for your children – but those things are huge medical scares.”
Mental health battle
The Duchess of Sussex was open about her mental health battles after joining The Firm. In her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the royal revealed she had suicidal thoughts while she was pregnant with Prince Archie.
She explained she “didn’t want to be alive anymore”. The host asked her directly if she was thinking of harming herself or had thoughts of suicide, and the Duchess said “yes”.
Meghan said: “I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he has suffered, but I knew that if I didn’t say it, then I would do it.
“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Following her interview with Oprah, she was praised by mental health charities for breaching the topic.
The Duchess of Sussex first spoke about her mental health publicly with Oprah (Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images)
Healing from trauma
Three years later, she spoke of it again, in an interview with CBS: “When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey – certainly part of mine – is being able to be really open about it.”
Meghan added: “I really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way and I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans and I would never want someone else to not be believed.
“If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them and not assume that the appearance is good so everything is okay, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123. They are available for free at any time.
‘Unbearable grief after miscarriage’
Meghan Markle wrote about another health scare in 2020, in an op-ed for the New York Times called The Losses We Share.
The royal bravely wrote about suffering a miscarriage in the July before, talking about “an almost unbearable grief”.
She wrote about watching her “husband’s heart break as she tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine”.
Meghan explained she “dropped to the floor” from a “sharp cramp” while caring for their son Prince Archie.
The now mum-of-two said: “After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.
“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.”
