Gal Gadot reveals she had ‘massive blood clot’ in brain while pregnant

Gal Gadot is opening up about a scary medical condition she faced midpregnancy this year.

The Wonder Woman actress shared in an Instagram post Sunday that she had been diagnosed with “a massive blood clot” in her brain eight months into her most recent pregnancy.

Gadot wrote in the caption that 2024 had been a year “of profound challenges and deep reflections.” She added that along with raising awareness and supporting others facing similar conditions, detailing her experience was her way of “pulling back the curtain on the fragile reality behind the curated moments we share on social media.”

Gadot went on to explain the diagnosis she received while pregnant with her daughter Ori, whose birth she announced in March 2024.

“In February, during my eighth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed with a massive blood clot in my brain,” she wrote. “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 wrote that after the diagnosis, she rushed to the hospital and “underwent emergency surgery.”

“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,” she wrote.

Gadot thanked the team of doctors for the care she received at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, writing, “Today, I am fully healed and filled with gratitude for the life I’ve been given back.”

The actress said the experience taught her “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,” she wrote, sharing that while her condition, cerebral venous thrombosis, is “rare,” it is crucial to “identify early because it’s treatable.”

Gadot wrote in her post Sunday that she decided to share her experience “to empower” others.

“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),” she wrote. “[K]nowing it exists is the first step to addressing it.”

“If even one person feels compelled to take action for their health because of this story, it will have been worth sharing,” she wrote.

In addition to Ori, Gadot and her husband, Jaron Varsano, are parents to three other daughters, Alma, Maya and Daniella.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.