Tim Walz's wife Gwen reveals how she conceived children after Kamala Harris' running mate attacked Republicans' IVF restrictions

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz openly discusses he and wife Gwen's struggles with infertility on the campaign trail before attacking Republicans over efforts to block IVF, but it turns out his family's personal story with infertility involves another form of treatment, not IVF.

As a part of his stump speech, Kamala Harris' running mate talks about the need for Republicans to 'mind their own damn business.' He then shares his family's story seeking fertility treatment. 

'That includes IVF, and this gets personal for me and my family,' Walz said during his first appearance as Harris' running mate. 'When my wife and I decided to have children, we spent years going through infertility treatments.'

Walz's recent remarks have led some to assume he and wife Gwen conceived their two children through IVF, but the campaign recently clarified that the couple actually used another common fertility procedure called intrauterine insemination or I.U.I.

Governor Tim Walz with wife Gwen at the Democratic National Convention on Monday. On the campaign trail, he has shared their personal story about struggles with infertility. Their treatment was IUI though, not IFV

In a statement to the New York Times, Gwen Walz addressed how a neighbor knew what they were going through at the time stating 'she was a nurse and helped me with the shots I needed as part of the I.U.I. process.'

She went on 'I’d rush home from school and she would give me the shots to ensure we stayed on track.'

I.U.I. does not involve creating or discarding embryos the way IVF does, so it has not been a target of anti-abortion advocates like IVF has been.

Instead the process involves placing sperm directly into a uterus. IVF is often more successful than I.U.I.

A spokesperson for Walz told the Times when sharing his story, Walz often talks about his family undergoing 'treatments like' and said he was 'using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments.'

It comes as Walz has used his personal story to go after Republicans as some anti-abortion advocates have set their sights on IVF since the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade in 2022 ended the constitutional right to an abortion.  

In February, the Alabama Supreme Court put IVF in jeopardy when it ruled frozen embryos should be treated like children. Unlike IVF, I.U.I. does not involve creating or discarding embryos the way IVF does but inserting sperm directly into a uterus 

In February, Alabama Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos should be treated like children in February sending the industry into chaos and raising questions about the future of the fertility treatment. Republicans were forced to scrabble and defend their positions 

Walz wrote in response on Facebook: 'Gwen and I have two beautiful children because of reproductive health care like IVF. This issue is deeply personal to our family and so many others. Don’t let these guys get away with this by telling you they support IVF when their handpicked judges oppose it.'

Over ten million babies have been born from IVF globally and there are more than half a million IVF deliveries every year. 

I.U.I is much less invasive so often it is used a starting point for couples struggling with infertility. While they are different treatments, some patients have used the terms interchangeably when discussing infertility. 

Americans overwhelmingly support access to IFV treatment. 70 percent of adults said access to IFV is a good thing, according to a Pew Research Center survey earlier this year. Only eight percent said it was a bad thing.