Selena Gomez Reveals She’s Unable to Carry Children Due to Health Issues

Selena Gomez attends Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" Season 4 premiere in Los Angeles on Aug. 22, 2024. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

In a recent cover story for Vanity Fair, Selena Gomez expressed her desire to start a family one day, acknowledging that her path to motherhood may not follow the traditional route.

“I haven’t ever said this, but I unfortunately can’t carry my own children,” the 32-year-old singer and actress revealed during the interview, published on Sept. 9.

“I have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby’s in jeopardy.”

The “Only Murders in the Building” star—who is currently in a relationship with record producer Benny Blanco—said she spent time grieving over her inability to bear children.

However, she noted that she is now “in a much better place,” especially given the fact that there are many childbearing alternatives available to her.

“I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me,” said Gomez, whose mother, Mandy Teefey, was adopted.

“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.”

Health Issues

Gomez has previously discussed some of her health challenges, including being diagnosed with lupus in 2013, which she went public with two years later.

Speaking to Billboard in October 2015, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer reflected on her decision to cancel “The Stars Dance Tour” in the fall of 2013 to focus on her health. Gomez said she subsequently checked in to The Meadows, a treatment center located in Wickenburg, Arizona, and had to undergo chemotherapy to treat the disease.

“That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke,” she said. “I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, the chronic autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system, which is responsible for warding off potential infections and diseases, mistakenly targets healthy tissues and organs instead.

Although the exact cause of lupus is unknown, common symptoms include extreme fatigue; pain or swelling of the joints, hands, or feet; headaches; chest pain; and hair loss, among others.

Predominantly affecting women in their childbearing years, lupus may also affect fertility and increase the likelihood of complications during pregnancy, such as blood clots, premature birth, delayed growth, miscarriage, and stillbirth.

In September 2017, Gomez took to Instagram to reveal that she had undergone a kidney transplant due to damage caused by her lupus.

“It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you,” she wrote. “Until then I want to publicly thank my family and incredible team of doctors for everything they have done for me prior to and post-surgery.”

In her post, Gomez shared that her friend Francia Raisa—an actress known for her roles in “Dirty Lies,” “Black-ish,” and “Grown-ish”—had been her kidney donor.

“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa,” she penned.

“She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made.”

Gomez has also been forthcoming about her mental health struggles, which she candidly explored in her 2022 documentary, “My Mind & Me.”

“I was terrified to do [the film] and I went back and forth on whether I'd do it or not,” she said during a South by Southwest panel in Austin, Texas, in March of this year, according to Access Hollywood.

“I think the moment I did that I felt this insane amount of release because there wasn’t any hiding any anymore,” she said. “It’s helped release a lot of anxiety.”

Elaborating on her mental health journey, Gomez said her documentary chronicled “one of the hardest moments” of her life.

“I had to hit my rock bottom and I had to do it at my time,” she said. “I took a couple of tries, but I'd like to think and hope that I’m in a much better place now.”