Meghan Markle has opened up about a 'scary' health condition she suffered with after pregnancy during the first episode of her new podcast.
The Duchess of Sussex launched her new podcast Confessions Of A Female Founder today (8 April), and surprisingly opened up about a health scare she faced following her pregnancies.
The podcast follows a flurry of new ventures for the mum-of-two, including her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, and her lifestyle collection As Ever.
During the episode, the royal sat down with Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of dating app Bumble, to talk about challenges she faces as a CEO and her journey to getting there.
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The pair bonded over a health condition they had both suffered with postpartum, which Meghan admitted was a 'scary' time in her life.
"We both had very similar experiences though we didn't know each other at the time with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia," Meghan shared.
She added: "It's so rare and so scary."
The 43-year-old spoke about dealing with the condition while also trying to maintain her life in the public eye.
She said: "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."
Her guest agreed about the severity of the situation, and added: "I mean life or death, truly."
According to Mayo Clinic, postpartum preeclampsia is 'a rare condition that occurs when you have high blood pressure and excess protein in your urine soon after childbirth'.
The condition requires 'prompt treatment' and if left untreated, it can cause seizures and other serious health complications.
The symptoms of postpartum preeclampsia include:
- High blood pressure (hypertension) — 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or greater
- Excess protein in your urine (proteinuria)
- Severe headaches
- Changes in vision, including temporary loss of vision, blurred vision or light sensitivity
- Pain in your upper belly, usually under the ribs on the right side
- Nausea and vomiting
- Shortness of breath
- Decreased urination
Meghan's new podcast will feature eight episodes with different female founder guests, and looks at both their, and Meghan's, journey through entrepreneurship.
The podcast launch coincided with Harry's arrival in the UK yesterday to take on another court case regarding taxpayer-funded security protection.
The prince's taxpayer-funded protection was changed in 2020 after he stepped down from his role as a working royal.
His lawyer argues he has been 'singled out for different, unjustified and inferior treatment'.
He and Meghan have sought to keep their two young children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, largely out of the public eye due to privacy concerns.
However, the two have recently started to share snippets of their lives with their little ones, including posts on Meghan's new Instagram account and a controversial card they published at Christmas.
In a previous court hearing about security, Prince Harry argued: "The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US.
"That cannot happen if it's not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil."
Topics: Meghan Markle, Health, Pregnancy, Podcasts, Women's Health
Mia Williams