Selena Gomez’s infertility announcement was met with some unkind comments, so the singer shut her critics with a clear message: “F— off.”
Her candid revelations highlighted the emotional roller coaster that many women face along with the stress of infertility.
In an emotional speech at the Women in Film dinner in Beverly Hills, the 32-year-old Hollywood star spoke about the importance of being honest and vulnerable about life’s struggles.
“I truly believe that there is power in being vulnerable and telling people when you need help, when you want help,” Gomez said.
“That is not shameful. So yeah, I shared that I can’t carry a child. Yeah, I shared I have bipolar. F— off. That’s what my life is like,” she added as her audience applauded in approval.
Being an advocate for women
Gomez went on to say that she wants to “advocate for women, and that’s why I share. That’s why I like to be honest—because everybody’s going through something.”
“I don’t have it all together. … I’m me. And that’s all I can be,” she said.
These statements from the singer came shortly after her revelation of infertility in the October 2024 issue of Vanity Fair.
“I unfortunately can’t carry my own children,” she had said. “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.”
Is Selena Gomez’s infertility a result of health problems?
Gomez’s health journey has been complex. She was diagnosed with Lupus—an autoimmune disease that affected various parts of her body, including the kidneys. The condition was severe enough for her to require chemotherapy in 2015 and a kidney transplant in 2017.
The disease itself, as well as some treatments, can affect a woman’s ability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term.
It is now common to freeze your eggs before chemotherapy, so these gametes are not affected by the aggressive administration of drugs. Selena Gomez however, did not clarify if she had already frozen her eggs but she did mention considering both surrogacy and adoption.
Bipolar disorder and medication concerns
In 2020, Gomez revealed another health challenge: bipolar disorder. Some medications for this can increase the risk of birth defects or pregnancy complications.
She also talked about her panic attacks, anxiety, and debilitating depression in her 2022 documentary My Mind & Me. Later however, Gomez revealed that her mind was chemically imbalanced due to all the drugs she took during Lupus treatment.
This reality forced Gomez to confront difficult decisions about her treatment and her desire for motherhood.
Will Selena Gomez need surrogacy?
“It’s not necessarily the way I envisioned it,” Gomez said about future motherhood. “I thought it would happen the way it happens for everyone. I’m in a much better place with that.”
However, there are many options for infertility treatments today, and Gomez is preparing for possible alternatives. She always wanted to have kids at the age of 35.
“I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me,” she said.
“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.”
Who is Selena Gomez dating?
The star of Only Murders in the Building also gushed about her love life in the Vanity Fair interview. She is dating Benny Blanco, a music producer.
“I’ve never been loved this way,” she said. “He’s just been a light. A complete light in my life. He’s my best friend. I love telling him everything.”
Blanco reciprocates the feeling as he told TODAY with Hoda and Jenna in May, “I wake up every day and I look in the mirror and I’m like, ‘How did this happen?’ But until anyone figures it out — wee!”
They seem to be just enjoying the phase without feeling any pressure to take any next steps.
“We always make sure we’re protecting what we have, but there’s no rules. I want him to always be himself. I always want to be myself,” the Who Says’ singer said.