Actor singer Selena Gomez announces she can't have children: Conditions that can impact childbirth

Selena Gomez has revealed that she cannot have kids. The 32 year actor-singer has revealed in an interview that certain medical issues have made it difficult for her to have a safe pregnancy.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Selena has said, "“I haven’t ever said this, but I unfortunately can’t carry my own children." “I have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby’s in jeopardy,” she added. “That was something I had to grieve for a while.”

Selena has been battling several health issues in the last few years. In 2013 she was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune condition where the inflammation affects the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs. The common symptoms of lupus are fatigue, joint pain, rash and fever.

Four years later in 2017, Selena underwent a kidney transplantation. She received a kidney from Francia Raisa.

In 2018, Selena was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental condition where there are unusual shifts in a person's mood and activity levels. As per a report by Rolling Stone, her requirement to consume medications for bipolar disorder means she likely won't be able to carry her own children.

"Surrogacy or adoption are huge possibilities for me"

“I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me,” she told the media. “It made me really thankful for the other outlets for people who are dying to be moms. I’m one of those people. I’m excited for what that journey will look like, but it’ll look a little different. At the end of the day, I don’t care. It’ll be mine. It’ll be my baby.”


Selena's inclination towards alternative reproduction methods and adoption is partly because her mother was adopted.

Other conditions that affect childbirth

Childbirth is one of the most complicated processes under different factors: maternal health conditions, pregnancy complications, and environmental ones.

Maternal health conditions, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and infections, are some of the key determinants of childbirth. Preeclampsia, by definition, is high blood pressure with signs and symptoms of damage to another organ system and often leads to giving birth too early or placental abruption. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy and only increases the risk for high birth weight, further leading to delivery complications such as shoulder dystocia. Other infections such as Group B Streptococcus or sexually transmitted infections may pose a risk to both mother and baby, which could lead to preterm labor or neonatal complications.

Pregnancy complications also are very much in the forefront. Placental abruption involves the early separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus, which can result in heavy bleeding and worsening health conditions for both mother and fetus. Placenta previa involves being covered by the placenta, sometimes resulting in severe bleeding during delivery and thus needing a cesarean section. Other complications include multiple pregnancies, which increase the chances of preterm labor and require special care at the time of delivery.



Other factors include environmental and lifestyle ones. Maternal age is another critical factor, in which both very young and advanced maternal ages are linked to increased risks. The young mothers may have a high risk of preterm labor, while on the other hand, older mothers are at an increased risk for gestational diabetes and chromosomal abnormalities. Such lifestyle choices made, including smoking, alcohol consumption, and poor nutrition, tend to adversely affect pregnancy outcomes and heighten the chances of complications arising at the time of delivery.