Beyoncé publicly discloses she suffered multiple miscarriages

Music star Beyoncé, who in 2013 had opened up about a miscarriage she and her husband Jay-Z had suffered, revealed on Monday it had happened more than once.

In response to one of several fan questions submitted to Elle magazine that Beyoncé, 38, answered for the January issue, the “Formation” singer said, "I began to search for deeper meaning when life began to teach me lessons I didn't know I needed. Success looks different to me now. I learned that all pain and loss is in fact a gift. Having miscarriages taught me that I had to mother myself before I could be a mother to someone else."

The multiple Grammy Award winner went on to discuss her and Jay-Z's first child, daughter Blue Ivy, 7, who would be joined by their twins, daughter Rumi and son Sir, 2. "The quest for my purpose became so much deeper," she said. "I died and was reborn in my relationship, and the quest for self became even stronger. It's difficult for me to go backwards. Being 'number one' was no longer my priority. My true win is creating art and a legacy that will live far beyond me. That's fulfilling."

In her self-directed 2013 HBO documentary, "Life Is But a Dream," Beyoncé had discussed a miscarriage before Blue was born. "I heard the heartbeat, which was the most beautiful music I ever heard in my life," she says at one point. But later, "I flew back to New York to get my check up — and no heartbeat." The experience was "the saddest thing I've ever been through."

Rapper Jay-Z appeared to have hinted at miscarriages in his 2017 song "4:44," a confessional track in which he writes, "Took for my child to be born to see through a woman's eyes. / Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles. / Took me too long for this song,” and, later, "I apologize for all the stillborns. / 'Cause I wasn't present, your body wouldn't accept it." It was unclear if literary license were involved: The medical community defines miscarriage as pregnancy loss within the first trimester, and stillbirth as loss after that point.