Amy Schumer is quitting IVF: ‘I can’t be pregnant ever again’
Actress will pause her attempts to have second child after struggling with IVF
Comedian Amy Schumer, who has made her reproductive journey the subject of her latest professional projects, will pause her attempts to have a second child after struggling with in-vitro fertilisation.
“I don’t think I could ever do IVF again,” the 39-year-old told ‘Today’s’ Willie Geist in a preview clip Friday. “So I decided that I can’t be pregnant ever again. We talked about a surrogate, but I think we’re going to hold off for right now.”
The ‘I Feel Pretty’ star and women’s empowerment advocate began a physically and mentally draining round of IVF treatment in January. She and her husband, chef Chris Fischer, welcomed son Gene in 2019 and have been candid about their desire to give him a sibling. She told Geist that because of Gene, “life is so much more beautiful.”
The little guy has made frequent appearances on the couple’s pandemic-era Food Network show, ‘Amy Schumer Learns to Cook’.
But her first pregnancy the subject of her Netflix comedy special, ‘Growing’, and her recent HBO Max docuseries, ‘Expecting Amy’ was extremely challenging. The actress was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness, that lasted throughout the pregnancy. The comedian chronicled her ubiquitous bouts of nausea, vomiting and hospitalisation in the projects and on social media.
In ‘Growing’, the star quipped that she was touring while pregnant only because she was contractually obligated to do so.
IVF, which is considered the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology, left her feeling rundown and emotional. The comedian previously said that they were only able to make one viable embryo of the 35 eggs that were retrieved during the harrowing and expensive process.
“We feel lucky we got 1! But what a drop off right?” Schumer wrote on Instagram in February. “So many women go through many rounds of ivf which is painful and mentally gruelling. 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.”
Schumer’s full interview will air this weekend on NBC’s ‘Sunday Today With Willie Geist’.