Selena Gomez has recently opened up about a deeply personal aspect of her life, revealing that she cannot carry children. In a candid interview with Vanity Fair, the star shared her thoughts on motherhood and her journey towards accepting this reality, something she described as needing to “grieve.”

In the cover interview, Gomez discussed her hopes for the future, including her plans for starting a family. She had envisioned becoming a mother by 35 and had even mapped out a plan for how her life would unfold. “I haven’t ever said this, but I unfortunately can’t carry my children. I have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby’s life in jeopardy. That was something I had to grieve for a while,” Gomez shared with writer and filmmaker Yohana Desta.

While the American singer and actor acknowledged that carrying her children is not possible due to medical reasons, she also expressed her openness to adopting. This idea holds special significance for Gomez, as her mother was adopted. She also spoke about being a godmother to her cousin Priscilla’s two children, a role she cherishes deeply.

Gomez, now 32, has been forthcoming about her health struggles over the years. She has been diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its tissues and organs. This condition, which is not fully understood and has no cure, can be managed with treatment. In 2017, the celebrity underwent a kidney transplant, with her friend Francia Raísa serving as the donor. This life-saving surgery was a significant moment in her ongoing battle with lupus.

In addition to her physical health challenges, Gomez has also been open about her mental health. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition that she explored in depth in her 2022 documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.

Ahead of the documentary’s release, she spoke to Rolling Stone about how the medication she takes for bipolar disorder could affect her ability to have a safe pregnancy. “I’m going to be very open with everybody about this: I’ve been to four treatment centres,” she revealed in the interview. “I think when I started hitting my early twenties is when it started to get really dark when I started to feel like I was not in control of what I was feeling, whether that was really great or really bad.”

Despite the challenges, Gomez has come to terms with her situation and is looking forward to exploring other paths to motherhood. While adoption and surrogacy are not the ways she initially envisioned becoming a mother, she expressed gratitude for these options. “I thought it would happen the way it happens for everyone. [But] I’m in a much better place with that. I find it a blessing that wonderful people are willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me. 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 about 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,” she told Vanity Fair.

This personal revelation from Gomez comes at a time when the topic of parenthood is particularly prominent in the public eye, with her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Baldwin recently welcoming their first child.