"I wish medication was an option — just the idea of it being on the table is so nice."
Mandy Moore is getting candid about her health.
In an interview with “Today Parents,” published on Friday, the actress — who is pregnant with her second child — revealed she has a rare blood disorder, and shared that the condition will prevent her from being able to get an epidural when she gives birth this fall.
However, this won’t be the first time Moore, 38, will have an unmedicated birth. When she welcomed her son Gus in February 2021, she was also unable to get an epidural as a result of the autoimmune disorder, which is called immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).
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“My platelets are too low for an epidural,” the “This Is Us” star said, before recalling, “It was awful. But I can do it one more time. I can climb that mountain again.”
“I wish medication was an option — just the idea of it being on the table is so nice,” she added. “But we’ll just push forth like we did last time.”
According to Johns Hopkins, ITP is a “blood disorder characterized by a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood” and is caused by “an immune reaction against one’s own platelets.” Immune thrombocytopenic purpura “can cause easy bruising, bleeding gums, and internal bleeding.”
While speaking to “Today Parents,” Dr. Ashley Roman, who is the director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at NYU Langone Health, said ITP during pregnancy can propose risks to both the mother and the fetus.
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“For the mother, there is a risk of bleeding around time of delivery, whether delivery is vaginal birth or cesarean. The risk of bleeding depends on the platelet count,” she told the outlet. “There is also a risk to the fetus. The antibodies that cause the low platelets in the mother, can cross the placenta and affect the baby’s platelet count as well.”
“In really rare cases, the platelet count in the fetus can be so low that it leads to bleeding problems in the baby,” Roman noted, adding that a pregnant person getting an epidural can cause injury around the spinal cord.
According to “Today Parents,” Moore — who shares Gus, 17 months, with husband Taylor Goldsmith — posted a health update on Instagram on Thursday.
“I am fine. I just have to continue to get my blood checked — my platelet levels checked — throughout pregnancy. They’re low, but they’ve always been low,” she said. “But I’m all good. Everything’s good.”
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In June, the singer revealed on Instagram that she and Goldsmith are expecting a baby boy. Alongside a photo of Gus, above, wearing a shirt that read: “Big Brother,” Moore wrote, “One incredibly seminal chapter of my life just ended and the next one, as a mother of two, is about to start… and are we ever so deeply grateful and excited. Baby Boy Goldsmith #2 coming this fall! Tour is gonna be slightly different than I expected but I can’t wait and Gus is gonna be the BEST big brother!! Xo.”
However, a few weeks later, “The Princess Diaries” actress announced that she would, unfortunately, have to cancel the remainder of her “In Real Life” tour due to her pregnancy.
“Friends, It is with a heavy heart and much consideration that I have to let you all know that I am canceling my remaining show dates in 2022,” she began in an Instagram statement, below.
“It has been an honor and an absolute dream to return to the stage again this past month, performing for all of you,” Moore continued. “When we booked these shows, I wasn’t pregnant and although I truly thought I could power through, the way we are traveling (long hours on the bus and not getting proper rest) has caught up, taken its toll, and made it feel too challenging to proceed. I know that I have to put my family and my health (and the health of my baby) first and the best place for me to be right now is at home.”
She added, “Thank you for all of your support along the way and thank you in advance for respecting my decision. I can’t wait to get back out there soon to bring this music and show your way!!”
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In an interview with “Today Parents” earlier this month, the “I Want Candy” singer shared more details about her heartbreaking decision to cancel the rest of her tour.
“I foolishly thought ‘if I did it before, I can do it again,'” she said. “But every pregnancy is different. This time, I was caring for a toddler. I was walking around feeling like an absolute shell of myself.”
However, Moore realized that being on tour while pregnant and having a 2-year-old wasn’t going to be easy.
“As it turns out, being on a set is worlds away from being on a tour bus. It was like trying to sleep on a wooden roller coaster,” she said. “Gus would be standing up in his Pack N’ Play while the bus was shaking — and I was like, ‘No, no, no. We can’t do this anymore.'”
Moore also pointed out that she was concerned about how getting less sleep on tour would affect her baby. “I was scared I was going to adversely affect my [unborn] baby and his growth,” she said.
While Moore noted that she had “been looking forward” to her tour for “a decade and a half,” she pointed out that “ultimately, nothing trumps your health, and the health of your baby.”
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