Home / News / Celebrity News Mandy Moore can’t get an epidural during birth due to rare blood disorder Kevin Winter/Getty Moore is expecting her second baby later this fall. By Cassandra Stone August 2, 2022 Kevin Winter/Getty Rectangle In a new interview, Mandy Moore is opening up about a rare blood disorder diagnosis and how it majorly impacts how she’s able to give birth. Moore, who is pregnant with her second child with husband Taylor Goldsmith, says she has to have an unmedicated birth due to immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). “My platelets are too low for an epidural,” Moore told TODAY Parents. She confirmed that she also had an unmedicated birth with her now 17-month-old son, Gus, due to ITP. Related: Mandy Moore announces she’s expecting baby #2 in the sweetest way “It was awful. But I can do it one more time. I can climb that mountain again,” Moore said. “I wish medication was an option — just the idea of it being on the table is so nice. But we’ll just push forth like we did last time.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mandy Moore (@mandymooremm) What is immune thrombocytopenic purpura? According to the Mayo Clinic, immune thrombocytopenia is a disorder that can lead to easy or excessive bruising and bleeding. The bleeding results from unusually low levels of platelets—the cells that help blood clot. The disorder is also more common in women. In many cases, immune thrombocytopenia may have no signs and symptoms. If they do occur, this is what to look out for: Easy or excessive bruisingSuperficial bleeding into the skin that appears as pinpoint-sized reddish-purple spots (petechiae) that look like a rash, usually on the lower legsBleeding from the gums or noseBlood in urine or stoolsUnusually heavy menstrual flow Research published in the National Library of Medicine suggests that women diagnosed with ITP prior to conceiving could be at an increased risk for stillbirth, fetal loss, and premature delivery. Though among 446 pregnancies in women with ITP, 346 resulted in live births. Someone like Mandy Moore, who has ITP, is unable to get an epidural if their platelet count is very low. Placing an epidural can cause injury around the spinal cord. Related: Mandy Moore cancels tour—and anyone who’s been pregnant will applaud Earlier this summer, Moore (understandably) canceled her first tour in almost a decade due to her second pregnancy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mandy Moore (@mandymooremm) “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,” she said in a statement. Last week, she shared an update on her ITP via Instagram. “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,” Moore explained in part. “But I’m all good. Everything’s good.” Related Stories Celebrity News ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ star kept it so real about leaking breast milk on the Emmys red carpet Celebrity News Dax Shepard was asked what always makes him cry, and his answer is too sweet Celebrity News Mandy Moore opens up about her fertility experience: ‘My journey to motherhood was not linear’ The latest Viral & Trending Mom shares beautiful moment with 5-year-old on her birthday: ‘My life got so much better when you were born’ News U.S. moms lose an average of $9,500 thanks to unpaid maternity leave News Meta attempts to ‘prioritize teen safety’ by making Instagram accounts private—but is it enough? News Study shows just how much pregnancy affects the brain—and it’s more than previously thought