Gov. Tim Walz's wife clarifies fertility treatment was IUI, not IVF

(FOX 9) - Gov. Tim Walz and his wife have been open about their struggle to have children, but Minnesota’s first lady is clarifying which fertility treatment they used. 

What we know 

Walz has energized crowds on his campaign stops in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan with the story of his daughter's birth, which has been made possible through fertility treatments. Walz also previously sent out a fundraising email titled "our IVF journey."

He criticized Ohio Sen. JD Vance earlier this month by saying, "If it was up to him, I wouldn’t have a family because of IVF." 

However, Gwen Walz clarified this week they used intrauterine insemination (IUI) to have their daughter Hope, and not in vitro fertilization, commonly known as IVF. 

JD Vance then criticized Walz about the subject on Tuesday, writing on X, "Today it came out that Tim Walz had lied about having a family via IVF. Who lies about something like that?"

However, according to The Associated Press, campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg defended Walz and denied that he was misleading.

"Gov. Walz talks how normal people talk," she said. "He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments."

Gwen Walz statement

Campaign officials released the following statement from Gwen Walz:

"Like millions of families across the country, for years, Tim and I tried to start a family through fertility treatments. We followed the journey that is infertility — the anxiety, the agony, and the desperation that can eat away at your soul.  

"Knowing that pain, I cannot fathom the cruelty of politicians who want to take away the freedom for couples to access the care they need. After seeing the extreme attacks on reproductive health care across the country – particularly, the efforts in Alabama that jeopardized access to fertility treatments — Tim and I agreed that it was time to formally speak out about our experience. Our experience taught us that there is always hope and we hope other families find solace in our story. Since then, I have been greatly touched by the women who have shared their stories with me.

"Our fertility journey was an incredibly personal and difficult experience. Like so many who have experienced these challenges, we kept it largely to ourselves at the time – not even sharing the details with our wonderful and close family. The only person who knew in detail what we were going through was our next-door neighbor. She was a nurse and helped me with the shots I needed as part of the IUI process. I’d rush home from school and she would give me the shots to ensure we stayed on track. Many of our closest family and friends were surprised when we shared these experiences so many years later."

Dig deeper

The subject has been at the center of political controversy lately. IVF has been under attack from anti-reproductive rights advocates and those seeking to ban abortions. 

Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos could be considered children under state law, which temporarily stopped IVF procedures. 

Walz brought up the ruling during a State of the State address in March, saying it was a "direct attack on my children." 

"All we wanted was something that seemed so simple — to have that child," he said at the time. "What those judges did was a direct attack on our family."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.