Selena Gomez has been a showbiz trouper since the age of nine. Now, at 32, the co-star of streaming hit Only Murders In The Building, plans to have children.

However, in an interview with Vanity Fair, the singer and actor has revealed she is unable to safely carry a child to term.

Gomez – who has previously said she’d be open to adoption – told the magazine:

“I haven’t ever said this but I unfortunately can’t carry my own children,” she 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.”

The most damaging issue is the autoimmune disease lupus. While Gomez didn’t specifically refer to the condition in the Vanity Fair article, she was diagnosed with it in 2015.

Women with lupus have an increased risk of miscarriage. This is because lupus increases the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy.

Kidney damage

Lupus also causes serious kidney damage. Indeed, kidney failure is a leading cause of death in people with the condition. In 2017, Gomez received a donor kidney from fellow actor Francia Raisa to remedy this damage.

“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa,” Gomez wrote a frank 2017 Instagram post revealing the transplant.

“She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”

Also, lupus can trigger mood disorders, namely depression or anxiety. Gomez has subsequently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

“At one point, she’s like, ‘I don’t want to be alive right now’,” her former assistant, Theresa Marie Mingus, says in the 2022 documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.

“ ‘I don’t want to live’. It was one of those moments where you look in her eyes and there’s nothing there. It was just pitch black.”

Overall, it’s no small thing that Gomez has continued to work without drama or complaint.

Lupus is often described as a “cruel” disease, because it’s difficult to diagnose. Symptoms tend to mimic those of other ailments. Adding to the confusion, no two cases of lupus are exactly alike. And there is no single test to confirm the disease.

The disease itself is brutal. Historically, it caused people to die young. Today, it’s manageable with treatment and strict lifestyle measures.

What is lupus?

In the TV series House, in just about every episode, as Hugh Laurie’s team of doctors flailed around to diagnose a mystery ailment, lupus was put up as a possibility.

This was especially the case when the “patient” was wracked throughout with inflammation.

As an autoimmune disease, lupus causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues and organs.

It is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and hormonal factors. The attendant inflammation can plague joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and/or lungs.

For many people, symptoms are mild, and day to day life can seem normal, until the disease flares. These flare-ups can be triggered by infections, drugs or sunlight.

Signs and symptoms

According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no set pattern for how, when and to what degree the symptoms will present.

Signs and symptoms “may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe, and may be temporary or permanent”.

For most people, daily life is relatively fine, until there’s an episode, or a flare, “when signs and symptoms get worse for a while, then improve or even disappear completely for a time”.

The signs and symptoms differ according to where the lupus manifests itself. The skin, the joints, the heart, etc.

The most common signs and symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Joint pain, stiffness and swelling
• Butterfly-shaped rash on the face or rashes elsewhere on the body

A typical sign of lupus is a red, butterfly-shaped rash. Image: Mayo Clinic

• Skin lesions that worsen with sun exposure
• Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Dry eyes
• Headaches, confusion and memory loss.

Risk factors

Lupus is more common in women.

The disease can affect people of any age, but it’s most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45.

Lupus is more common in African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans.

Complications

We’ve already mentioned the higher risk of miscarriage, damaged kidneys and increased risk of mood disorders.

There’s also a small increased risk of several cancers. And people with lupus tend to be more prone to infections.

Other complications include:

Inflammation of the brain and central nervous system. This can cause headaches, memory problems, dizziness, behavioural changes, vision problems, and even strokes or seizures.

Anaemia and an increased risk of bleeding or blood clotting. It can also cause inflammation of the blood vessels.

Inflammation of the heart increases the risk of coronary artery disease, cardiovascular disease, such as pericarditis and myocarditis, heart attack and heart failure.

It’s thought that about 20,000 Australians have the disease. If you suspect you might have lupus, seek advice from your doctor. There are also a number of support groups that could be helpful.