Amy Schumer has spoken about her experiences with hyperemesis, endometriosis, and IVF — from her candid posts onwards social media on her 2020 HBO documentary Expecting Amy. Now the women’s health advocate is investing in fertility company TMRW Life Sciences to innovate how frozen eggs and embryos are managed.
“I’m very grateful to be a mom, but becoming one has been a long and difficult process,” Schumer said in one expression. Schumer gave birth Her sonGene, via cesarean section in May 2019 after being hospitalized in 2018 due to Hyperemesis gravidarum (severe morning sickness). She went through IVF hoping to give Gene a sibling but ultimately ended up unsuccessful. “When I underwent IVF it was physically and emotionally exhausting and there was so much uncertainty. I never thought I would ask how my embryos will be managed and stored.”
Many “embryologists still perform manual, time-consuming and often error-prone tasks” when it comes to monitoring and organizing frozen oocytes and embryos, per TMRW press release. But the company has developed an FDA-approved automated tracking system to monitor frozen eggs and embryos used in IVF. The technology enables visibility – for the patient and the doctor – through digital identification and tracking.
It’s an innovation that could help many would-be parents since research predicts significant growth in fertility services with a projected increase in the number of IVF births. Factors include an increase in late parenthood, rising numbers of same-sex couples, and technological developments in fertility treatments.
However, the high cost of IVF, challenging success rates, and the risks and side effects associated with IVF have made it a risky endeavor for many. Advances in monitoring technology will, at the very least, allow for a higher IVF success rate as potential problems are identified more quickly. “[TMRW’s] Technology is transforming the fertility industry, making lab processes safer and more transparent, giving patients one less thing to worry about,” Schumer said.