It is well known that it takes a village to raise a child, but this sentiment is currently absent for those on their fertility health journey. Kayleigh Hartigan’s new platform, Fertility Mapper, will partner digital connection with a traditional community approach to fertility, providing necessary support where it’s been missing for so long.
The essential platform will provide women with a much-needed space to share expertly curated reviews and experiences of fertility health services – offering guidance, information on costs, and education at the exact time it’s needed.
Through 16 years of healthcare experience and extensive research in women’s health, Kayleigh knows that the fertility health journey is often lonely, stigmatised, misleading and expensive. She’s now calling on women across the UK to give back to those in need by joining the platform to provide these insights.
‘Not a weekend goes by where the subject of fertility doesn’t come up with friends in hushed side conversations over dinner or coffee. Given both my experience and personal journey, I’m asked frequently for informal advice on how much services should cost or the clinics my friends should be looking at.
Realising that the subject of fertility health is misunderstood and questioned across the UK and not everyone has that friend in the know – I wanted to create a platform to empower women with the knowledge of others.’
Accessing funding for fertility services is a postcode lottery, which has led, in some cases, to financial deception and misinformation from services. This lack of accessible and trustworthy knowledge also means women can end up paying upwards of £25,000 for fertility services unnecessarily.
The services available are also largely process-led, cold, and discount the emotional turmoil and loneliness felt by the women using them. A disconnect in understanding and education around the subject also means that many IRL friendship groups feel unable to adequately support their friends who are going through these experiences.
More from Startups
- Pre-Seed Vs Seed Funding For Startups
- Top Startups In Bath To Keep An Eye On
- Ethiopia’s Emerging Entrepreneurs: 8 Startups To Watch
- Strategies To Secure Investment For Your Startup
- Top 10 Startups In Newcastle To Keep An Eye On
- Which VC Firms Backed Some Of The UK’s Biggest Startups?
- Ten Startups In Kenya To Keep An Eye On
- How Marine Conservation Startups Are Saving Our Oceans
Existing online communities that centre the fertility health experience are often overwhelming, confusing, and driven by fraught emotions, causing further distress to the individual.
Kayleigh has spent her career working on solutions to inaccessibility in the healthcare sector and has worked across the NHS, The Department of Health, WHO, HealthHero and more. Kayleigh moved into the tech space to drive accessibility and improved experience to those in need and now to spearhead the evolution of the women’s healthcare. She holds a BSc in The Biology of Fertility and Embryo Development and an MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing – providing her with both the knowledge and lived experience to found Fertility Mapper.
Fertility Mapper is currently cultivating its space for conversation and encouraging reviews from those able to provide support to women across the UK. Women are able to openly share their clinic experience, from how transparent they were about costs and treatments to how they communicated and made them feel.
Knowing exactly the information that women need, Fertility Mapper will help thousands of women navigate their journey and select a clinic that’s right for them. Revolutionising one of healthcare’s most enigmatic sectors will require the village that raises the child.
