Sharon Stone 'lost 9 children' through miscarriage
Sharon Stone has opened up about her experiences of miscarriage in a rare, honest post on social media.
In a comment made on Instagram, the actor revealed that she has “lost nine children” through miscarriages over the years.
Stone, 64, who adopted her three sons Roan, 22, Laird, 17, and Quinn, 16, revealed that going through the experience of miscarriages is “no small thing”.
Writing in a comment beneath a post on US magazine People’s Instagram page, the Basic Instinct star also discussed the lack of support for females experiencing the same thing.
She insisted that women are made to feel that losing a baby is “something to bear alone and secretly with some kind of sense of failure”.
Read more: Miscarriage: Why it happens, how it feels and where to find support
“We don’t have a forum to discuss the profundity of this loss,” she added.
The Instagram post on People’s social media page was promoting a joint interview with Dancing with the Stars professionals Peta Murgatroyd and her husband Maks Chmerkovskiy. Murgatroyd told the publication that she suffered a third miscarriage earlier this year when Chmerkovskiy was in Ukraine.
Stone also said that being left in the care of the “male ideology” was ignorant, and “violently oppressive in effort.”
Stone wrote in the comments: “We, as females, don't have a forum to discuss the profundity of this loss. I lost nine children by miscarriage.”
“It is no small thing, physically nor emotionally yet we are made to feel it is something to bear alone and secretly with some kind of sense of failure.”
“Instead of receiving the much needed compassion and empathy and healing which we so need. Female health and wellness left to the care of the male ideology has become lax at best, ignorant in fact, and violently oppressive in effort.”
This isn't the first time the actor has opened up about her painful experiences of miscarriage, revealing in a Radio 4 Women’s Hour interview that she went through “36 hours of labour alone” after losing a baby at five and a half months pregnant.
Read more: Helplessness, loneliness and grief: How men are impacted by miscarriage
Speaking about her own experiences after the publication of her autobiography, The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone said she felt a “strong sense of sisterhood” from the nurses helping her through the “fifth and a half month miscarriage”.
The star also previously revealed to AARP that she received the approval to adopt her first son Roan, who was born in 2000, while on the way home from having a miscarriage.
Where to get support for pregnancy loss
If you've experienced pregnancy loss, support is available from hospital counselling services. Numerous charities also have helplines offering support:
The Miscarriage Association: 01924 200 799, Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. It also has an online chat service and support groups
Tommy’s: 0800 0147 800, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Petals – The Baby Loss Counselling Charity: 0300 688 0068. Counselling is free but calls are charged at the local rate
Watch: Britney Spears's fiancé Sam Asghari reflects on heartbreaking miscarriage
