Amy Schumer Asks for Advice for Getting Through IVF on Instagram
Comedian Amy Schumer got real about the emotional toll of going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and asked for advice from others who’ve gone through it on Instagram.
“I’m a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional,” Schumer wrote, adding:
If anyone went through it and if you have any advice or wouldn’t mind sharing your experience with me please do. My number is in my bio. We are freezing my eggs and figuring out what to do to give Gene a sibling.
Schumer gave birth to her first child, Gene Attell Fischer, with husband Chris Fischer, on May 5, 2019. In response to revealing her journey with IVF on Thursday, many added their support in the comments, including Tess Holliday, Katie Couric and Selena Gomez, while others shared their own experiences and advice.
“My advice is to take one day at a time and to go easy on yourself,” wrote one commenter. “We as women are so strong and this does not define us. Give yourself small goals and only focus on your milestones ahead.”
Schumer isn’t alone in her emotional experience with IVF. Mighty contributor Stacey Skrysak shared her journey through infertility, IVF and eventually pregnancy in the article, “I Am the Face of Infertility.”
“As I began to tell a few friends about our infertility, more and more people opened up to me. I wasn’t alone,” Skrysak wrote, adding:
The emotions I felt before beginning fertility treatments were magnified as my husband and I embarked on what doctors believe was our only route: IVF. Our hope and excitement was met with pain as my body succumbed to endless bruises from the several shots I gave myself each day. After a few weeks, I was emotionally and physically drained.
If you’re going through IVF, you’re not alone. Here’s what others who have been there shared with The Mighty:
Header images via Amy Schumer’s Instagram
Renée Fabian was the features editor at The Mighty. She has also written for The Washington Post, VICE, Healthline, Talkspace, The Fix, The Establishment, The Culture Trip, and GRAMMY.com, among others. Renée was named a 2019 AHCJ Comparative Effectiveness Research fellow, a 2020 USC Center for Health Journalism California fellow, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter @ryfabian.
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