One of the most popular actresses in Hollywood, Angelina Jolie is used to living her life in the public eye. After she filed for divorce from husband Brad Pitt in September of 2019, the media scrutiny into Jolie’s personal life increased to an almost unbearable level, leaving the public craving every single detail. Above all else, Jolie’s prioritizes the wellbeing of her children and often declines to share too much where it could possibly impact her family. But conversely, she has opened up about her battles with her health over the years.
Fans are still rejoicing after Jolie joined Instagram in August 2021, and praise the Maleficent actress for speaking up about her own health issues that affect millions of other women too. Keep reading to learn the truth behind Angelina Jolie’s health issues and her decision to be honest about her private struggles in the hopes of helping others.
Her Cancer Scare
When Angelina Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, was just 56 years old, she lost her life to ovarian cancer. This was devastating for the actress, who shared a close bond with her mother. When Jolie found out that she too had the BRCA1 gene, she opted to have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery to prevent cancerous cells from forming.
Despite having the preventative double surgery, Jolie got a call from her doctor while she was in the editing room working on 2015’s By the Sea. He was concerned about levels in her blood work that may have suggested cancer.
“Ten minutes later, the room’s spinning, and you just think, How . . . ?” Jolie reminisced (via Vanity Fair). She decided not to tell the kids what was happening as she waited for the test results. Finally, thankfully, she learned that she didn’t have cancer.
Second Surgery
Following her double mastectomy and reconstructive procedure, Jolie chose to have another surgery as a means of protection against the formation of cancerous cells. In March of 2015, she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
The actress revealed that she had a small benign tumor on one of her ovaries. Even though there was no sign of cancer, she made the decision to have the preventative surgery so that her children will never have to say, “Mom died of ovarian cancer.”
“I had been planning this for some time," Jolie explained while opening up about her health issues (via Entertainment Tonight) in the hope of raising awareness and educating others. "It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause."
After the surgery, Jolie did instantly go into menopause.
Early Menopause
Menopause usually occurs in a person’s 40s or 50s, when there is a natural decline in the reproductive hormones. Although Jolie entered this stage of her life earlier than she perhaps would have, she hasn’t found the experience to be negative.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Jolie admitted that she loves being in menopause: "I haven't had a terrible reaction to it, so I'm very fortunate. I feel older, and I feel settled being older.”
Stress-Induced Hypertension
In addition to her cancer scare and preventative surgeries, Jolie also developed high blood pressure and needed treatment for hypertension. The actress revealed that she developed the condition during a period of intense stress in her life.
Although Jolie has remained private about her personal life in the past, she has been candid about the hard time she’s gone through following her split from Brad Pitt, whom she was with for 12 years. They share six children together: Maddox, Shiloh, Zahara, Vivienne and Knox.
“It’s just been the hardest time, and we’re just kind of coming up for air,” Jolie admitted (via the Daily Mail). She bought a home for herself and the kids only a few miles from Pitt’s Los Feliz house in an attempt to keep the family together and reduce any unnecessary stress in the children’s’ lives.
Bells Palsy Diagnosis
In addition to hypertension, Jolie also developed Bell’s palsy in 2016, per Vanity Fair. This form of temporary facial paralysis caused one side of Jolie’s face to droop as a result of damage to facial nerves.
Jolie explored the idea that her health defects came as a result of neglecting self-care, particularly during a time of heightened stress: “Sometimes women in families put themselves last,” she says, “until it manifests itself in their own health.”
Turning To Acupuncture
Fortunately, Jolie has made a full recovery from Bell’s palsy. She puts her recovery down to acupuncture, a form of alternative medicine derived from traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles into the skin at different parts of your body. It is said to stimulate certain parts of the body and balances vital energy, healing a wide variety of conditions.