Actress Monica Potter has cleared up reports suggesting she is expecting her fourth child, revealing she is actually suffering from bowel disease colitis.
The Parenthood star sparked the baby news late on Wednesday (17Jan18), after sharing a photo of herself cupping her bare, bulging stomach on Instagram.
“I have something to share…,” she captioned the snap, prompting an outpouring of congratulatory messages from fans.
However, Monica has since returned to social media to clarify her post, explaining she isn’t pregnant again, and had actually been planning to use the image of her bloated stomach to raise awareness about a health issue she has been dealing with.
“Thank you to everyone who has sent me well wishes,” she wrote in a new post on Thursday (18Jan18).
“I’m not pregnant but wanted to shed some light on some issues we all may deal with, especially women.
“It’s never really talked about because it’s not sexy, pretty, or glamorous to say the least, so I decided to share a photo to possibly inspire my friends (you), create a platform to share stories, and rely on each other for support and guidance.”
The 46-year-old went on to share that she’s been struggling with colitis, which causes chronic inflammation, for almost two years.
“Sometimes when I get flareups it’s painful and frustrating, so for all of you who suffer from colitis or other abdominal issues, please know you’re not alone,” Monica continued, revealing she has a check-up appointment with her doctor on Friday (19Jan18), and a colonoscopy scheduled for later this month (Jan18).
Urging fans to keep a close eye on their health, she added: “I want to stress the importance of getting regular check-ups with your gastroenterologist or family physician. I hope this open discussion will lead to many other things we face as women, mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, and every role we take on.”
