(CNN) – Comedian and actress Amy Schumer shared more information about a health issue she is currently facing.
After Schumer appeared as a guest on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” earlier this month, where she discussed the second season of her Hulu hit “Life & Beth,” some on social media were critical of her appearance's change. Schumer responded to the comments in a scathing Instagram post, explaining that she had some “medical and hormonal things going on” but was doing well.
In an interview published Friday in Jessica Yellen's News Not Noise newsletter, Schumer revealed that she suffers from exogenous Cushing's syndrome caused by steroid injections that led to an excess of cortisol in her body. According to the Mayo Clinic, this disease can cause weight gain, fatigue, headaches and other symptoms.
Schumer said he felt “reborn” when he learned of his diagnosis, after a series of tests to determine what was wrong.
“While I was doing press for my Hulu series, I also sat in MRI machines for four hours, my veins blocked by the amount of blood they were taking from me, and I thought I might not be able to raise my son see.” Schumer remembers. “Learning that I have self-healing Cushing's syndrome and am healthy was the best news imaginable. It’s been a crazy few weeks for me and my family.”
Schumer said she was motivated to share her diagnosis to advocate for women's health and body optimism.
“Shame and criticism of our ever-changing bodies is something I have long grappled with and witnessed,” Schumer said. “I really want women to love themselves and fight relentlessly for their own health in a system that typically doesn’t believe them.”
Schumer ended his conversation by encouraging others to be kinder with their words.
“This is a good example of how we never know what will happen to someone,” he said. “Everyone is struggling with something. Maybe we can all be a little kinder to each other and ourselves.”