Student Question

Why can't Rosalie have children in Twilight, yet Bella becomes pregnant by Edward?

Quick answer:

Rosalie cannot have children because female vampires are "frozen" and infertile, meaning their bodies cannot undergo the changes necessary for pregnancy. In contrast, male vampires like Edward can still reproduce because their venom-based bodily fluids can carry genetic material. This allows them to fertilize a human egg, as seen when Edward impregnates Bella. However, such pregnancies are rare due to the lethal nature of vampire-human intimacy and the dangers of the pregnancy itself.

Expert Answers

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Stephenie Meyer explains this in detail on her website. I'll paraphrase here. Vampires were once human, and therefore are very similar to humans in many ways. Vampires have venom-based fluids in their bodies much like we have fluids in our bodies (tears, blood, lubricants in our cells and other tissue). Therefore, vampires are able to be aroused just as humans are, and male vampires have bodily fluids that carry genetic information and can fertilize a human egg. However, not many vampires have ever mated with a human before, as being that close and intimate with a human usually resulted in death for the human. So whereas female vampires are "frozen" and infertile, male vampires still carry genetic information in their semen, and are capable of producing offspring with a human, if they can mate without killing that human, and if the human can survive the pregnancy. 

See Stephenie Meyer's site...

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