Actress Mandy Moore to give birth without pain relief due to blood disorder

LOS ANGELES - American actress-singer Mandy Moore's second child is due in October, but she will have to give birth without any pain medication.

This is due to her diagnosis of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), an autoimmune condition characterised by low platelet count in the blood.

Symptoms of the condition include bruising, bleeding of the nose and mouth, and heavy menstrual periods.

In an interview with United States news outlet Today, the 38-year old said that her platelets were too low for an epidural, which is commonly used to provide relief during childbirth.

"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."

She also had to do without pain medication during the birth of her first child, 17-month-old Gus. "It was awful. But I can do it one more time. I can climb that mountain again," she said.

A doctor interviewed by Today explained that an epidural can cause spinal injury if the person's platelet count is too low.

Additionally, the antibodies causing the low platelet count can cross over to the foetus and attack its platelets as well. In serious cases, this could result in bleeding issues in the baby.

In June, Moore announced that she was cancelling her concert tour to focus on her pregnancy.

"When we booked these shows, I wasn't pregnant and although I truly thought I could power through, the way we are travelling (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 wrote on Instagram.

"I know that I have to put my family and my health (and the health of my baby) first."

Moore married musician Taylor Goldsmith in 2018 and recently wrapped up her long-running television drama, This Is Us (2016 to 2022).