Amy Schumer is addressing comments made about her “puffier” appearance. According to the Trainwreck star, her swollen face is connected to her ongoing battle with endometriosis. The Life & Beth star, 42, was recently the subject of scrutiny on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) after a video in which she appeared to have a swollen face went viral. In a post on Instagram promoting her Hulu series, Schumer jokingly thanked everyone for their “input about my face,” before noting that her face is “puffier than normal right now.”
“I have endometriosis an auto immune disease that every woman should read about,” she wrote alongside a poster for the new season of Life & Beth. “There are some medical and hormonal things going on in my world right now but I’m okay.” While Schumer noted that “historically women’s bodies have barely been studied medically compared to men,” she added that women don’t need “any excuse for her physical appearance,” and advocated for “self love and acceptance in the skin you’re in.”
“Like every other women/person some days I feel confident and good as hell and others I want to put a bag over my head,” she wrote. “But I feel strong and beautiful and so proud of this tv show I created. Wrote. Starred in and directed. Maybe just maybe we can focus on that for a little.”
Schumer did not share specifically how her endometriosis has impacted how her face looks. However, it’s not uncommon for people dealing with the condition to experience swelling. Here’s what to know.
What is endometriosis? What has Amy Schumer said about it?
Endometriosis is a medical condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus, called endometrium, grows outside the uterus. This misplaced tissue can cause pain, inflammation and the formation of adhesions, leading to complications such as fertility problems. The symptoms often include pelvic pain, painful periods and discomfort during intercourse. Endometriosis can be managed through medications, hormonal treatments or, in severe cases, surgical procedures.
Despite the fact that the condition can cause extreme pain, historically, it’s been dismissed by many medical professionals. This is something several public figures, from Lena Dunham to Halsey to Padma Lakshmi, have spoken out about. In a 2022 interview on the docuseries The Checkup with Dr. Davis Agus, Schumer said she was in pain for most of her life due to the condition. At 41, she had a hysterectomy to help alleviate symptoms.
“It was just this pain you can’t see,” Schumer told Agus. “And, you know, there is the inclination to always think a woman is just being dramatic. You tell someone you get really bad cramps and they’re like, “Oh, well, being a woman…’ And you’re like, ‘No, it’s irregular.'”
Why might endometriosis cause a puffier face?
“There’s a generalized inflammation of the body that can cause just about anything to be somewhat swollen or more sensitive,” Dr. Hugh Taylor, chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life. “Secondly, some of the medications we use for endometriosis can cause some water or fluid retention that can result in some swelling, such as progesterone or progestins.”
Progestin is a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone. It mimics the effects of progesterone in the body and is often included in birth control pills, injections and implants. Progestin helps regulate the menstrual cycle and, in some cases, reduces the symptoms of conditions such as endometriosis. A side effect of progestin is water retention and swelling, including swelling of the face, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Though the side effect is listed as rare, progestin has also been linked to a “filling or rounding of the face.” It’s important to note that Schumer hasn’t shared whether she is taking progestin or other medications nor anything about her treatment plan at this moment.
What are other common causes of facial swelling?
There are other drugs besides progestin that can lead to swelling of the face, which is sometimes called “moon face.” Selena Gomez recently opened up about how the medication she is on to manage her lupus causes her to retain water, which leads to weight fluctuations.
Taylor says that, while it is possible to see a rounder or puffier face with endometriosis, he notes it’s not the most common cause of facial swelling. “That is a common symptom of adrenal disease or Cushing’s disease, as well as steroid hormone use,” he says.
That said, he points out that endometriosis is “a disease that’s not really that well recognized,” and adds there can be “multiple manifestations of endometriosis, other than just painful periods. If somebody is having other symptoms and has endometriosis, it very well could be related.”
