“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.”
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.
More About IVF:
- What IVF Feels Like, According to Women Who Have Been Through It
- The Truth About the Financial Side of Infertility
- What It Feels Like to Go Through Fertility Treatments
