Selena Gomez Reveals She Can’t Carry Her Own Children Due to ‘Medical Issues’: ‘That Was Something I Had to Grieve’

Selena Gomez is speaking candidly about the impact her years of health problems have had on her future plans to become a mother. The Only Murders in the Building star, 32, revealed in the new cover story for Vanity Fair‘s October issue that she is medically unable to carry a child, something she “had to grieve for a while” before accepting.

“I haven’t ever said this,” Gomez shared, “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 “Rare” singer, who has been public about her struggles with lupus, revealed that she still plans to have children through alternate methods. “It’s not necessarily the way I envisioned it,” she shared. “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 there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me.”

The singer added, “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.”

Gomez and music producer Benny Blanco went public with their romance more than a year ago, but the Rare Beauty founder said she’s been thinking about becoming a mother since long before they began dating. “Before I met my boyfriend, I was single for five years, with the exception of going on a few dates,” she explained. “And I was like, ‘Okay, if this is the vibe, then what is the most important thing to me? Family.’”

Blanco has also been focused on family, telling Howard Stern earlier this year that having kids was his “next goal on the box.” Gomez told Vanity Fair in response, “He can’t lie. After the interview, I was dying laughing. Like, ‘Anything else you wanted to put out there?’”

Gomez and Blanco have been the subject of engagement rumors as of late, but the “Same Old Love” singer said there’s no pressure for them to tie the knot anytime soon. “We always make sure we’re protecting what we have, but there’s no rules,” she said. “I want him to always be himself. I always want to be myself.” Gomez added that if the day does come for them to walk down the aisle, she only has one stipulation: “I’m not changing my name no matter what. I am Selena Gomez. That’s it.”