Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has spoken about suffering from postpartum preeclampsia, calling the potentially fatal condition “so rare and so scary.”
Speaking on the debut episode of her new podcast “Confessions of a Female Founder,” released Tuesday, Meghan described her experience of the condition, which is marked by elevated blood pressure and high levels of protein in the urine or other signs of organ damage.
Meghan was speaking to her friend Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of the Bumble dating app, who also experienced postpartum preeclampsia.
“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,” said Meghan.
“It’s so rare and so scary,” she added.
“And you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly,” said Meghan.
“And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people… mostly for your children, but those things are huge medical scares.”
Wolfe Herd agreed, saying: “I mean life or death, truly. It’s like, really scary.”
Most cases of postpartum preeclampsia develop within 48 hours of childbirth, but it can develop four to six weeks postpartum, according to the Mayo Clinic. Postpartum preeclampsia can cause seizures and other serious complications if left untreated.
Meghan shares two children with her husband, Prince Harry. Archie was born in May 2019 and Lilibet was born two years later, after the couple stepped down as working royals.
Meghan’s new podcast is produced in partnership with Lemonada Media, which is home to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ podcast, “Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus,” “Choice Words with Samantha Bee” and more.
After moving to the United States in 2020, Harry and Meghan secured numerous media deals, including with Spotify and Netflix, the streaming home of their docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” which chronicled their courtship, their relationship with the media and their decision to leave royal life.
And in March, her new Netflix show “With Love, Meghan” was released on the streaming platform.
Consisting of eight glossy episodes, each centered around Meghan hosting a different friend, it offers tips and tricks for being the ultimate hostess, cook and homemaker. Netflix confirmed to CNN last month that the show has been renewed for a second season and is set to premiere in the fall.
CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Max Foster contributed reporting.
