It's no secret that Amy Schumer's first pregnancy was no walk in the park. The comedian documented her experience, including a grueling battle with hyperemesis gravidarum, in a comedy special and a documentary.
Despite her pregnancy struggles, Amy opened up about trying in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments to give son Gene a sibling. In discussing that, she said that she and husband Chris Fischer were also considering surrogacy to expand their family.
On a recent podcast appearance, Amy gave more insight into her family plans. She explained how her battles with endometriosis and adenomyosis would make it difficult for her to get through another pregnancy.
While it's physically possible, the 39-year-old doesn't think she'll carry another child herself. That said, she isn't completely sold on surrogacy either, making it a difficult decision for her and Chris. Everything going on in the world has put their plans on hold for the time being, but it's clear the next steps are weighing on her.
Amy Schumer had a very tough go of her first pregnancy. Amy and husband Chris Fischer welcomed their son, Gene, in May 2019. During that pregnancy, Amy battled severe hyperemesis gravidarum, which plagued her up until she gave birth.
Amy recently appeared on the What To Expect podcast to talk about pregnancy. There, she revealed that her plans for a second child were more complicated than she originally thought.
"I also have had really bad endometriosis and adenomyosis," she explained.
"I could have a baby again, physically, but it might kill me," she continued.
The conditions are certainly serious. Endometriosis is a painful condition that develops when the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside of it. Adenomyosis is a thickening of the uterus and occurs when endometrial tissues move into the walls of the uterus.
Just seven months after welcoming Gene, Amy began IVF. She shared the news on Instagram in hopes of getting support and starting a conversation with other women who had been through the same:
"I'm a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional. 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."
On the podcast, she explained that she and Chris are "thinking seriously about taking the surrogacy route," as well.
"The virus kind of put everything on hold, but of course we do want more," she said. "I hope that's in the cards for us."
Two days later, Amy thanked fans for their support and shared what she learned. "Thank you ladies and a few gentlemen. We are gonna freeze embryos hopefully," she wrote.
"I learned to eat salty food after and drink Gatorade. Ice the area. Take arnica and put arnica on the bruises. To be patient and kind to myself and that there are sooooo many of us willing to be there for each other. Your stories helped me more than you can imagine. I feel incredibly lucky. I'm really hoping this works and staying positive. Much much love!"
A month later, she shared another update. "Hey! So IVF went like this for us. They retrieved 35 eggs from me. Not bad for the old gal right? Then 26 fertilized! Whoah right?"
"For all of those we got 1 normal embryo from that and 2 low-level mosaic (mosaic means there are some abnormal cells but can still lead to a healthy baby) So we feel lucky we got 1! But what a drop off right?"
"Anyway I have so appreciated everyone sharing their Ivf stories with me. They made me feel empowered and supported. So I wanted to tell you how mine went down," she continued.
"So many women go through many rounds of IVF which is painful and mentally grueling. I heard from hundreds of women about my their miscarriages and struggles and also many hopeful stories about how after rounds and rounds of IVF it worked!! It has been really encouraging."
"Thank you. Anyway I am so grateful for our son and that we have the resources to get help in this way. I just wanted to share and send love and strength to all of the warrior women who go through this process. my number is in my bio if you are open to text me your experience or whatever you feel like. I read them when I can't sleep or have time."
Dr. Ryan Martin, a fertility specialist in Warrington, Pennsylvania, explained to Today the implications of Amy's conditions. "It doesn't eliminate the chance of getting pregnant, it just makes it harder," Dr. Martin explained.
"It makes the uterus less receptive to accepting an embryo to grow in pregnancy. You can take perfectly normal embryos and put them in a uterus that has abnormalities and have a much lower rate as a result."
Amy is lucky to have a lot of options at her disposal, but that doesn't change her complicated feelings around the matter. She explained to Today Parents last month.
"I mean, it's something that I can't imagine putting myself through again, but it's also something I can't imagine not putting myself through," she said. "It's so confusing."
