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Gwen Walz has clarified that she underwent fertility treatment via intrauterine insemination (IUI) rather than in vitro fertilization (IVF) with her husband, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.
In an interview with GlamorGwen reached out to clarify her husband's comments about her difficult fertility journey. She said it took her a long time to be able to talk about it, even with her closest friends and family.
“Our fertility journey was incredibly personal and difficult,” she admitted. “Like many other people who have gone through these challenges, we kept it a secret at the time.”
She added: “Many of our closest friends and family were shocked when we shared these experiences so many years later.”
It took a village to secure their path to parenthood, with a nurse and neighbor routinely stopping by their home to assist “with the shots I needed as part of the intrauterine insemination process” to help them “stay on track,” Gwen said. She also noted that her husband would often “run home from school” after a full day of classes to support her while the nurse administered the shots.
“Like millions of families across the country,” she said, “for years, Tim and I tried to start a family through fertility treatments.”
At that time, Gwen underwent intrauterine insemination, a process in which sperm are placed directly into the uterus to improve the chances of fertilizing the egg. The process is done to increase the number of healthy sperm and the likelihood that they will reach the fallopian tubes.
After being married since 1994, the couple welcomed daughter Hope, now 23, in 2001, and son Gus, now 17, in 2006.
“We hope that other families will find comfort in our story,” she explained. “Knowing that pain, I cannot understand the cruelty of politicians who want to take away from couples the freedom to access the care they need.”
She continued: “After seeing extreme attacks on reproductive health care across the country, particularly efforts in Alabama that jeopardized access to fertility treatments, Tim and I agreed it was time to speak formally about our experience.”
In the past, Tim has credited IVF procedures for his and Gwen’s children, telling MSNBC in July: “Thank God for IVF, my wife and I have two beautiful children.” On other occasions, he has referred to the use of “fertility treatments.”
Recently, Gwen criticized Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance during a Democratic fundraising call.
“If Trump had his way, I would never have been a mother,” she said, referencing the vice presidential candidate’s infamous “childless cat lady” comments. “If Vance had his way, that would make me a second-class citizen.”
“That is not the future I want for my children, or for your children, or for any child,” she added at the time.
Her husband shares her concerns, saying conservatives are attacking one of America's most “basic” freedoms.
“Deciding when and whether to start a family is one of the most basic freedoms in this country,” Tim said. “Attacking the ability of families to have children exposes the true nature of Republicans and shows how far they are willing to go to limit freedom.”
“This should scare the hell out of every person in this country,” he continued, “regardless of what political party they belong to.”
Since going public with their difficult fertility journey in March 2024, the couple said they have been touched by those who have reached out to them and shared similar experiences with them.
The family’s comments come after a year that has sent the fertility industry into a downward spiral. In February 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court decided in a landmark ruling that frozen embryos are classified as children under state law. The decision sent shockwaves through IVF centers, with many providers fearing they could face prosecution for the routine practice of freezing and discarding embryos.
Although the widespread, bipartisan backlash led Alabama lawmakers to quickly pass a bill shielding doctors from legal liability for destroying embryos, the law did not explicitly address all of the issues in the initial ruling, including the legal question of “fetal personhood.”
