Selena Gomez Opens up About Not Being Able to Carry Children in New Interview

Selena Gomez, recently named the newest female billionaire, reveals her heartbreaking inability to carry children due to lupus and medication complications.

In a heartfelt and candid interview with Vanity Fair, Gomez opened up about how her lupus diagnosis has affected her dreams of becoming a mother. Diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 2014, she has been transparent about the physical and emotional toll it has taken on her body and life. Though lupus doesn’t always directly impact fertility, the complications associated with the disease, alongside the medications used to manage it, led her doctors to advise against carrying a child. “I haven’t ever said this,” the actress revealed, “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. That was something I had to grieve for a while.”

The interview spans various aspects of her life, from her debut on Barney & Friends to her current relationship with music producer Benny Blanco, and much of her personal life. Despite the exception of a few dates, she has remained single for much of the past five years but had always hoped to start a family by 35. While her diagnosis means that carrying her own children is not an option, adoption is very much on the table. This is something close to her heart, as her mother, Mandy Teefey, was also adopted. She reflects, “If she hadn’t been adopted, I probably wouldn’t be here. I don’t know what her life would’ve been like. She and I are both very thankful for how life played out.”

In her 2022 documentary My Mind and Me, Gomez also opened up about the mental health challenges she faced due to lupus, including a bipolar disorder diagnosis she received after canceling her 2018 tour. Despite these setbacks, she remains remarkably positive. She shared a message of resilience during her Vanity Fair interview: “I remind myself that I’m okay. I ground myself for a moment. Where am I? I’m sitting in the office. Everybody I love is out there. There’s food. I can eat. I can take a nap here before I leave. I put myself into the present.”

While lupus has changed her plans for motherhood, the star remains hopeful and is finding peace in the possibility of adoption or surrogacy. “At the end of the day, it’ll be my baby. That’s what matters,” she says, reminding fans that family can take different forms, and it’s the love that counts.

Check out Selena Gomez’s full feature here.