In the first episode of her new series, Meghan Markle reveals she faced postpartum preeclampsia—shedding light on a rare but serious maternal health condition.
Meghan Markle has launched her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, with a powerful and deeply personal revelation—sharing that she experienced postpartum preeclampsia following childbirth.
In an emotional conversation with Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, who also battled the condition, Markle opened up about the toll it took both physically and emotionally. “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,” she said. “In the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people… but those things are huge medical scares.”
Postpartum preeclampsia is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition that affects 4–6% of women, typically marked by high blood pressure and protein in the urine after delivery. If left untreated, it can lead to seizures and other complications. Herd echoed Markle’s sentiments, calling the condition “life or death, truly.”
While Meghan didn’t specify whether the complication occurred after the birth of Archie or Lilibet, Herd recalled seeing Markle after Archie’s birth and being stunned at her strength. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, how is this woman doing this?’ She’s in heels, perfectly dressed, debuting a child to the world, while I could barely answer the door in a robe.”
Confessions of a Female Founder is Markle’s latest creative venture after launching her lifestyle brand As Ever and her Netflix show With Love, Meghan. The podcast, produced by Lemonada Media, will feature conversations with trailblazing women in business and drops new episodes weekly over an eight-episode season.
Markle’s honesty is not just refreshing—it’s a critical contribution to the often-silenced conversation around women’s postpartum health.