Amy Schumer Asks Fans for Help With Her IVF Journey

Amy Schumer is turning out to be a fiercely strong advocate for women’s fertility issues. The I Feel Pretty star has been opening up about everything from her hyperemesis gravidarem (a rare form of acute morning sickness that can last the entire pregnancy) all the way to her decision to not breastfeed. The outspoken star is giving public attention to taboo subjects that many women need to hear talked about publicly. So, when Schumer turned to her Instagram yesterday, we were both surprised and totally not shocked by what she had to say.

Schumer posted an incredibly candid post on Instagram in which she asked her 9.5 million fans to give her some advice on how to get through the IVF journey.

“I’m a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional,” Schumer wrote. “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.”

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Schumer and her husband, Chris Fischer welcomed their son Gene Attell to their family in May 2019 and now the small family wants to add another baby to mix in order to give Gene a sibling. But getting there is proving to be a difficult task as many women familiar with the IVF process can attest.

IVF or In Vitro Fertilization is a process of taking an egg and a sperm and manually combining the two in a laboratory dish. It is painful and expensive to endure and the success rates are prickly at best. In a recent study, NCBI reported that there has been a worldwide decline in live birth rates from IVF, at less than 25% in 2016, a drop from its peak of around 30% in 2010, however, in the United States those numbers are slightly higher.

One round of IVF typically includes blood tests, ultrasounds, minor surgery, and countless hormone injections, all of which can cost between $10,000 and $15,000 with zero guarantees of success, which is a huge reason why so many women feel stressed and anxious through the process.

As Schumer made clear in her Instagram post, the IVF process can sometimes feel hopeless. After she posted her phone number (yup, she really did) her post exploded with more than half a million likes and 29,754 comments. The overwhelming support that shines through in the comments hopefully made Schumer feel supported and gave her some hope to keep trying. We’re still waiting for a follow-up post to know if she indeed received the advice she asked for.

The number one thing we can do as women, friends, family, and parents is to support those who go through the IVF process with love, compassion, and patience. If you or someone you know and love is struggling with fertility issues and needs support, check out the Fertility Answers network for podcasts, support groups, and a wealth of information.