Amy Schumer revealed on Friday she has been diagnosed with Cushing syndrome, a condition caused by excessive cortisol. The news comes on the heels of Schumer’s response to fan comments that her face appeared puffier than normal.
“I feel reborn,” she told Jessica Yellin in the journalist’s News Not Noise newsletter. The actress went on to explain, “There are a few types of Cushing. Some that can be fatal, require brain surgery or removal of adrenal glands.”
Schumer said she was doing press for her Life & Beth season two, the Hulu series she created and stars in, while also undergoing extensive medical testing, “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.”
She said the tests eventually revealed “the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I’m healthy,” saying the revelation “was the greatest news imaginable. It has been a crazy couple weeks for me and my family.”
Per the Mayo Clinic, Cushing syndrome occurs when the body “has too much of the hormone cortisol for a long time.” Symptoms include various types of weight gain, including in the face.
Though the Trainwreck actress said internet discussion of her appearance initially caused more stress, she admitted that the commentary was what eventually pushed her to seek a diagnosis.
“Thank god for that,” she said. “Because that’s how I realized something was wrong. Just like when I realized I had named my son something that didn’t sound so good. The internet is undefeated, as they say.”
Schumer and her husband, Chris Fischer, renamed their son, Gene David, after the internet pointed out his original combination of names — Gene Attell — sounded like “genital.”
Schumer first responded to the comments about her face looking puffy following appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The View earlier this month.
“Thank you so much for everyone’s input about my face!” Schumer wrote on Instagram. “I’ve enjoyed feedback and deliberation about my appearance as all women do for almost 20 years. And you’re right it is puffier than normal right now.”
In her initial statement, she added that she has endometriosis, and that “there are some medical and hormonal things going on in my world right now but I’m okay.”
Schumer continued by saying that women’s bodies are historically understudied and urged her fans to read All in Her Head by Elizabeth Comen to learn more.
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