Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot has revealed her youngest daughter was born during emergency surgery after a “massive” blood clot was discovered in the actress’ brain during her pregnancy.

The 39-year-old said she received the “terrifying” diagnosis in the eighth month of her pregnancy, in February, after suffering “excruciating” headaches for weeks.

“We rushed to the hospital and within hours I underwent emergency surgery.” she wrote on Instagram.

“My daughter Ori was born in this moment of uncertainty and fear.”

The Israeli actress said she chose the name, which means “my light” in Hebrew, because her daughter would be “the light waiting for me at the end of this tunnel.”

Gadot added that she is now “fully healed and full of gratitude for the life that has been given back to me.”

Ori is her fourth daughter with husband Jaron Varsano.

On Instagram, Gadot wrote that the past year had been “a year full of great challenges and intense reflection” and that she was unsure whether to share details about her health emergency.

“Maybe this is my way of processing it all and pulling back the curtain on the fragile reality behind the curated moments we share on social media,” she wrote.

“Most importantly, I hope that by sharing I can raise awareness and support others who may be facing something similar.”

She explained: “In February, during my eighth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed with a massive blood clot in my brain.

“For weeks I suffered from excruciating headaches that left me bedridden until I finally underwent an MRI scan which revealed the shocking truth.

“In one moment, my family and I were confronted 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, I just wanted to persevere and live.”

She thanked the “extraordinary team” of doctors who performed the emergency surgery and said the “journey taught me so much.”

“First, it’s important to listen to our body and trust what it’s telling us,” she said. “Pain, discomfort, or even subtle changes often have a deeper meaning, and tuning into your body can be life-saving.”

“Secondly, awareness is important. I had no idea that 3 out of 100,000 pregnant women in the 30+ age group are diagnosed with CVT (blood clot in the brain).”

CVT stands for cerebral venous thrombosis.

“It is so important to detect the disease early because it is treatable,” Gadot continued. “Although rare, it is a possibility and knowing it exists is the first step in addressing it.”

“Sharing this is not meant to scare anyone, but to empower. If even one person feels compelled to take action on their health because of this story, it was worth sharing.”

A blood clot is rare in pregnancy, but slowing blood flow during pregnancy and immediately after birth increases the risk.

A 2020 study published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders According to data, one adult per 100,000 is diagnosed with CVT each year – for women between the ages of 31 and 50, the figure is three per 100,000.

The study suggests that there are a number of factors for the increase, primarily the use of oral contraceptives, but a difficult pregnancy or giving birth within six weeks of delivery are also possible factors (between 5% and 20% of cases ).

Pregnancy also increases the risk of other forms of blood clots, such as: deep vein thrombosis (DVT)usually in the legs, and pulmonary embolism, when part of a blood clot travels to the lungs.