Monica Potter Clarifies That She's Not Pregnant — She Has Colitis: 'Go and Get a Colonoscopy'

No, Monica Potter isn’t pregnant — but she is dealing with stomach issues from colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease.

The Parenthood star, 46, opened up about her intestinal issues after sharing a photo of her bloated stomach on Wednesday night, which prompted speculation that she was pregnant with her fourth child.

“So we posted something yesterday about my belly, and thank you for all of the well-wishes — I’m not pregnant. I’m kind of a little old to be pregnant, but you never know,” Potter said. “But what I wanted to bring to everyone’s awareness was some issues that I’ve been having with my belly, and sometimes these issues aren’t talked about. Colitis, Crohn’s, and getting a colonoscopy to diagnose what’s going on with our stomachs and intestinal problems.”

Potter said that she was diagnosed with colitis after dealing with “belly issues.”

“I haven’t really talked about it. It’s not really glamorous,” she said. “I’ve had to wear adult diapers sometimes driving [her daughter] Molly to school. That’s not really glamorous either. But I think finding the right healthcare provider and dealing with these issues can prolong your life and also diagnose things you might not really understand.”

“This is not meant to be a joke, this is meant to be taken very seriously, and I haven’t really shared or touched upon as this has been happening.”

Potter decided to share the message after learning that one in 24 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

“I’ve had a few friends pass away from colon cancer, and this is something I wanted to share with you,” she said. “I’m okay, I’m just getting ready for my yearly checkup to look at what’s going on down there. I noticed the bloat in my belly and I thought that I should share this.”