Amy Schumer diagnosed with Cushing syndrome after critics commented on her appearance
Episode 21029 of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." Amy Schumer. (Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images)
Amy Schumer is opening up about her health.
The comedian made news earlier this month when several people commented on her appearance as she promoted a new season of her show, "Life & Beth." At the time, she admitted that her face was "puffier than normal," and now she's revealing that she's been diagnosed with Cushing syndrome.
Specifically, she has exogenous Cushing syndrome, which is caused when a person takes a large amount of synthetic steroids over time. Schumer has said that she also has endometriosis, which can be treated with these steroids.
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Speaking to Jessica Yellin in her "News Not Noise" newsletter, Schumer said, "I feel reborn. There are a few types of Cushing. Some that can be fatal, require brain surgery or removal of adrenal glands."
She continued, "While I was doing press on camera for my Hulu show, I was also in MRI machines four hours at a time, having my veins shut down from the amount of blood drawn and thinking I may not be around to see my son grow up. So finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I'm healthy was the greatest news imaginable."
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The "Trainwreck" star noted that it's been "a crazy couple weeks" in her world, especially because she's had to deal with critical comments in addition to her health issues.
Still, she said that she's thankful for those comments, "Because that's how I realized something was wrong."
Schumer went on to say that she wanted to share the details of her condition so that she could "advocate for women's health."
"The shaming and criticism of our ever-changing bodies is something I have dealt with and witnessed for a long time," she said. "I want so much for women to love themselves and be relentless when fighting for their own health in a system that usually doesn't believe them."
"I want women to know it's abnormal to have extremely painful periods and to find someone with experience in diagnosing and operating for endometriosis … I want women vomiting horribly into their second and third trimester [to know they] may have hyperemesis gravidarum like I had. I want women to value feeling strong, healthy and comfortable in their own skin."
She acknowledged that she is "extremely privileged to have the resources I have for my health and I know it's not that way for most people. I am grateful and want to use my voice to continue to fight for women."
Schiumer concluded her message by saying, "The only other thing I'd like to add is that this is a good example of the fact that we never know what is going on with someone. Everyone is struggling with something. Maybe we can all be a little kinder to each other and ourselves."