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Getty Images / Hulton Archive
Renowned Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, shown with her husband, Diego Rivera, desperately wanted to have children but was never able to carry a pregnancy to term.
When Dr. Fernando Antelo looks at “The Broken Column,” one of many self-portraits depicting artist Frida Kahlo’s chronic pain and health problems, he feels like he’s having a conversation with a colleague as well as a patient.
The piece, painted shortly after Kahlo underwent spinal surgery at around age 37, shows the artist, who had taken pre-med courses in high school, encased in a body brace. The flesh down the middle of her neck, chest and abdomen is missing, exposing a broken column where her spine should be. Nails pierce her face and body as tears stream down her cheeks.
“I see her as a patient wanting to tell me about her symptoms, and at the same time I see her advanced knowledge, her ability to tell me about it as another physician would,” Antelo says. “Seeing that painting made me want to ask more questions.”
A surgical pathologist at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, Antelo decided to investigate why Kahlo, who died in 1954 at age 47, suffered numerous miscarriages and underwent at least three therapeutic abortions.
“I think it’s one of those things where we owe it to Frida,” says Antelo, noting that many of Kahlo’s paintings contain images related to reproduction and fertility, but only historians, not doctors, have delved into why the artist was unable to have a baby. Articles in the medical literature have focused on her chronic pain and orthopedic and neurological issues.
Antelo’s conclusion, which he presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association of Anatomists in San Diego, is that Kahlo suffered from a rare condition called Asherman’s syndrome.
First described in 1894, Asherman’s syndrome occurs when the lining of the uterus, or endometrium, is damaged and scar tissue forms. In most cases today, it results from repeated dilatation and curettage (commonly known as D & C), a procedure used to clear out the uterine cavity after childbirth, miscarriage or abortion.
Reed Saxon / AP
A visitor views "Las Dos Fridas (The Two Fridas)," a 1939 oil on canvas painting by Frida Kahlo at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Feb. 1, 2012.
Today, doctors treat the condition by peering into the uterus with a special magnifying camera on the end of a tube and carefully removing the scar tissue. But even if Kahlo had been diagnosed, Antelo says, “with the technology that they had then, they really couldn’t treat it.”
Kahlo’s condition originated with a streetcar accident when she was a teenager, according to the surgical pathologist. A metal handrail penetrated her abdomen, severely damaging the skeletal framework and internal organs, including her uterus. Among other things, the accident dashed her dream of attending medical school.
“She kept attempting to have children with a uterus that wasn’t in any condition to do that,” he says, and the resulting therapeutic abortions and miscarriages likely exacerbated her Asherman’s syndrome.
While numerous historians have offered reasons for Kahlo’s infertility, none of them have connected it to the streetcar accident, Antelo writes in his abstract.
Some colleagues have suggested that Kahlo’s inability to carry a pregnancy to term stemmed from a problem with the fetus or maybe a blood disorder, he says.
“There could be other contributing factors,” Antelo acknowledges, “but in my mind, this has got to be a key thing. We have major injury to the uterus.”
What other medical mysteries of the past would you like to see today's doctor's solve? Tell us on Facebook.
Correction: An earlier version of this story cited the wrong year for Frida Kahlo's death. It has been updated with the accurate year.
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Whew! Sure knocked that one out of the park, Doc!
yea really... i opened the article thinking, "oh my... what could it have been??" but um....???
Difficult to believe, isn't it? Having a gigantic metal pole shoved sideways through your uterus causes infertility. Who knew?
HORMONAL issues...OBVIOUSLY...the stache and beard are a dead give away!
I can't believe no one thought of her terrible accident before, in which she was impaled on metal and lived in agonizing pain for the rest of her life! It's no surprise to me.
I believe she herself spoke of that likelihood, at least metaphorically, and perhaps literally (saying roughly, that her "womanhood had been broken by rape by a metal bar"--in a context where womanhood makes more sense as "fertility" than "virginity.") Oh, she's not a medical professional? Well, never mind, then...because if something isn't thought of by a medical professional, it can't possibly be a diagnosis ; )
Or it could have been her uni-brow.
"While numerous historians have offered reasons for Kahlo’s infertility, none of them have connected it to the streetcar accident, Antelo writes in his abstract."
Let's see -- you are riding in a streetcar which is in an accident, and a handrail spears you in the lower abdomen, hitting your uterus, spine and other organs. You think anyone's going to carry a baby full-term after that?
DUH!!!!
Good Grief,
My thoughts exactly. Who are these genius historians that couldn't figure out the math on this one?! I'd like to know so I can steer away from any of their other works.
I believe that she died in 1954 and not 1957.
The article states that she died in 1754 at age 47. You should check the facts in the article before posting.
I'm not a historian, but I don't think there were streetcars in the 1700s. I think you meant 1954.
I never heard of her.
Well now you have! Do yourself a favour and learn about this amazing artist! She is an incredibly well known artist, but obviously you missed out on her somewhere along the way.
Go rent the movie.
Sad for you. She was a fascinating and talented artist.
Jean -----You haven't really missed much; she was a minor artist. There are many with her level of skill that are unknown to most people.
Some of the best artists have endured unbelievable suffering... It builds character!
Ummm...I thought EVERYONE knew that was the reason? That's what I assumed when I learned about her. And I'm not a doctor...I'm an English teacher.
Me too. The film Frida, staring Selma Hayek, pretty much determined that. At least the accident caused her pain, drug addiction and from there it was a no brainer.
Another poorly written article by an MSNBC writer. First, there are no pre-med courses in high school, certainly not in her day before AP courses came on the scene. If the author is talking about chemistry, biology, physics, etc., those are not pre-med. Most high school students who plan to go to college and/or who want to major in any scientific field take those courses.
Second, why would her accident have prevented her from going to med school? There are plenty of people who go to med school with worse problems. Third, she died in 1954. The author is too lazy and incompetent to even check a source as questionable as Wikipedia to make certain she gets that right.
Finally, why is anyone wasting time on speculating why Frida Kahlo couldn't have children when she died almost 60 years ago? No one will ever know for certain and knowing doesn't solve a thing or help anyone alive today. There are plenty of women who can't have children. That doesn't make her special. It must have been a slow news day and the third graders who usually do the writing had the afternoon off.
scale,
We really appreciate your ignorant arrogance and assumptions that YOU, more than anyone else, can draw this to a close. We're all very impressed with you for being such an ass.
Most people would try to hide the fact but you proudly make a fool of yourself. Congrats!
I would guess that chronic pain sometimes distracts from a rigorous schedule.
Scale is right. The headline reads "Doc solves mystery of Frida Kahlo’s infertility" when in fact he did no such thing. One can only speculate as to why she couldn't have children but it seems to me the spearing of the uterus would probably do it. I will also add that this lady was a very talented painter and her life is a rather fascinating read but making a doctors observation about someone who lived 60 years ago, a headline with the misleading and wrong header is very poor journalism.
Wow, uh, at what point was this even a mystery? Literally every time Frida was discussed in any of my art history courses (art history major here, so I've had many), one of the first things professors you about her is that a.) she was in a horrific accident when she was younger and impaled through the pelvis (uterus, spine, etc.) which caused injuries that followed her through the rest of her life and b.) she miscarried several times, which was a frequent emotional catalyst for her paintings. You can't tell me that this was the first time a professional put those two facts together.
same here...i heard this accident was the cause of her infertility in spanish class in high school...
I agree with scales. Antelo is just speculating. Asherman's Syndrome is a possible cause of her infertility and not a definitive cause. There are many women who suffer trauma to the uterus and undergo D&C's and still carry a pregnancy to term. To headline this article as a mystery solved puts msnbc.com in the ranks of tabloid journalism.
so how do you think those republician nuts and anti abortion nuts and no birth control nuts feel about this story there are reasons why some woman can't have a child and there are some who don't want a child
tommy ------ why is everyone who disagrees with you a nut?
How sad and how she must have suffered from severe pain from the time of the streetcar accident on.. Then to be unable to carry to term a child she so desperately wanted makes it all the more sad..
One has to wonder, if it were not for the terrible pain she suffered until she died, who knows what her art would have been like.. Her talent was great, it's just terribly unjust that, as some of her paintings show, she was consumed by the pain the racked her body..
Wow, I came to that conclusion after watching "Frida" starring Salma Hayek. Can I get a grant for doing nothing as well?
Why would she have "theraputic abortions" if she wanted children? Makes absolutely no sense. I am against abortion so I cannot feel sorry for her. I feel sorry for the baby. What if one of those abortions could have resulted in a successful pregnancy? They said her uterus couldn't hold a baby, but I have heard of stranger things happening and a baby being born when no one thought it was possible.
"Therapeutic abortion is proposed when a pregnancy threatens a woman's life and the fetus is not viable ex utero. As the intention is not to kill the fetus, this action should be named "therapeutic interruption of pregnancy". However, in some cases the fetus directly hampers the mother's health. Thus, the removal of the cause of the disease coincides with killing the fetus." Abstract of Scientific Ethics of Therapeutic Abortion from PubMed.gov
A therapeutic abortion is done when the fetus is a danger to the woman's life or when the fetus has died, as Been There said. This is a medically-necessary procedure. Or Kim are you one of those people who think the mother and fetus should die, rather than trying to save the life of the mother?
Kim, stranger things have definitely happened and sometimes babies are born when it was believed impossible... but unfortunately not in Kahlo's case. So, maybe stow some of that self-righteousness and spare a little sympathy for a woman who desperately wanted a baby and couldn't have one.
rcmclachlan why dont you spare YOUR self righteous little remarks? And doctors back then were more in the dark about things then they are now and you know that. And Maggieann I WAS one of those people that was told that carrying my daughter to full term will endanger my life and the life of my fetus. Guess what, I wouldnt do it and now I have a healthy and very happy 19 month old girl. Doctors are not always right, thats why its called PRACTICING medicine NOT perfected medicine.
Kim M..
It's very possible she was forced to have D&Cs because the fetuses died in utero.. It's my understanding Frida desperately wanted children, she would NOT have aborted any pregnancy IF there were a chance she could have carried to full term.. The fact is IF birth control had been available in those days her own doctors would most likely have insisted, for her own frail health, that she take them.. But she probably would not have done so..
It's very obvious from her paintings that she suffered, not just tremendous physical pain, but emotional as well.. Her painting were her means of expressing this..
Your jumping to conclusions that she deliberately aborted is not only a stupid statement, but lacks any empathy on your part for a fellow human being.. Doesn't say much for you, does it!
Kim, the 'practicing' in 'practicing medicine' is not the same word as in 'practicing piano'. It is intended to separate those who actively apply medicine from those who study or research it. Your statement, while a common phrase, shows that you are ignorant of the meaning of the words you use.
No actually Baja5B I am absolutely right. I seen many doctors in my life due to a medical condition I have and many doctors have said to me while they can guess what may be wrong, its just that..guessing and have made that statement to me. So in essence your calling the doctors ignorant, not me. And I can see by your statement you are the ignorant one. and Suzy If she did indeed have a D&C because the baby died in utero I totally understand,because I had a D&C a little over 12 years ago because of a miscarriage. Its just in this day and age so many are using it as birth control and as a convience thing and I DO NOT condone any of that. So yes I do have SYMPATHY for her if that was actually the case.
Kim, you are still misunderstanding the term 'practice'. The usage you are thinking of is "to perform or exercise repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency", implying that the subject has not yet mastered the activity. This is not the definition used in this instance. Medicine uses the term in the sense of "to carry out or exercise a profession, especially that of a doctor or lawyer". Neither definition implies guessing however, regardless of how doctors might conduct their practice. Your experience with a condition that cannot be pinned down to a specific cause does not alter these definitions and has nothing to do with the verbification of 'practice' when used to define the conduct of a doctor's business. You do yourself a disservice by confusing these.
Second, you apparently also misunderstand the term 'ignorant' as I used it and as it should be applied to the situation you describe. You are understanding the term only by the definition "uneducated or unsophisticated", however I was using it as "lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular". My usage has no negative connotation and only implies that you are unaware, not stupid. Similarly, your doctor is ignorant in that he is not aware of what is underlying your issue, not in the sense that he is an idiot. This is not unusual in medicine, but does not imply that doctors are stupid. You clearly have a negative personal bias toward the medical profession. That's truly a shame.
Women also have D&C's when not pregnant, for overgrowth of the uterine lining. They also can have one when the embryo or fetus has already died, but the woman's body (perhaps because of organ damage) has not yet yet successfully delivered the dead fetus / embryo, putting the woman's life at risk. Another reason is if she is hemorrhaging (often accompanying a detached placenta). In that case, the fetus/embryo will die anyway, and the only question is whether it can be removed, and the bleeding stopped fast enough, so the woman will not also die. A similar but distinct process is when the woman starts to miscarry--again, especially with an injured or malformed uterus, the woman can bleed to death waiting for the miscarriage to take its course. Then there is preeclampsia and a host of other problems that are not based in the uterus, but are triggered by pregnancy, and can be lethal to the woman (or lead to total loss of kidney function, which, while not lethal at the moment, leads to a life of dialysis in our day, and would have been lethal in her situation). Lots of reasons. And, yes, this stuff still happens, and yes, I've seen it--it's not hypothetical.
Let's look at a dictionary, shall we?
"practice (v): 4. To work at, especially as a profession."
I loved the movie, it has been along time. I think I will watch it again.
Gee!....I always thought it was those horrible masculine eyebrows of hers signalling a genetic catastrophe within...Well, at least she was clever enough to get into the "Art Dealer Mafia" and have her paintings foisted on the unsuspecting public as something not to "be without"...
I wonder what her armpits looked like...
and this matters because.....?????
It's odd the author leaves out the fact Kahlos suffered from contracting Polio as a child. That's a significant health impact right there.
Why is this news? Why does anyone care at this point about one person's infertility? There have been millions of infertile women, why is she special? And I agree with many of the other comments - Duh, she was in an accident that severely damaged the mid-section of her body. Doesn't take a rocket scientist (or grant money) to answer this "riddle".
I didn't realize that anyone in the entire world DIDN'T think it was the train wreck.
Maybe next this doc can tackle the question about why Van Gogh didn't hear so good.
Really? Many years ago in high school when I first became acquainted with Kahlo's work and her life story, it was obvious from the get go that the injuries she incurred in the streetcar accident were to blame - particularly if you read about exactly where the metal rod entered and from where it protruded. I never had any questions about why she never was able to have a baby, especially since she suffered from overall poor health due to her chronic pain, drinking, pain medications, and frequent back surgeries it was not a mental challenge to reasonable deduce. I thought that this was already universally accepted fact. I must have been mistaken.......
maybe it was due to that unibrow she was sporting?
It may seem obvious and common sense to us that the accident caused the infertility in general, but science and medicine are fields that focus on specifics and seek a diagnosis about the exact cause. Kahlo's struggle with untreatable infertility does shed some light for us in the present day. I've been a fan of Kahlo's since college and now will look at her art differently as I am someone who has Asherman's Syndrome caused by one poorly performed D&C after a miscarriage. It took 2 long painful yrs to get a diagnosis; I can't imagine how she suffered for so many years not knowing what exactly was causing her problems. I am glad this article has come out as I don't believe Asherman's is as rare as doctors want us to believe and it needs to be discussed more as a real possible outcome to the many gynecological surgeries that doctors push on us so easily.