Maven Clinic, a global virtual clinic for women’s and family health, is launching new features to support women and men trying to conceive.
Understanding the menstrual cycle is key to increasing chances of conceiving naturally. Yet Maven providers say that new members in its Trying to Conceive track—intended to support natural conception—often do not understand their ovulation. Even though nearly 75% of members report tracking their cycles in apps, many still struggle to interpret the data.
“Nobody uses a physical calendar anymore. Everyone tracks their fertility on a device or an app,” Neel Shah, M.D., Maven’s chief medical officer, explained. But simply tracking dates may not be enough. “Getting pregnant is about attempts. People might think they’re trying within their fertile window, but they’re not ovulating, and so it’s not going to work.”
Maven’s new cycle tracker, available to Fertility & Family Building members starting this fall, learns each member’s unique cycle and offers personalized predictions. It can flag possible irregularities and recommend appointments with a Maven specialist to determine potential underlying diagnoses. Finding these out early could save couples money and stress, Shah said. For example, an irregular period might be caused by a thyroid condition that could be addressed with a $5 medication.
The tracker is integrated with the Apple Watch and will soon also be integrated with the Oura Ring. Wearables can offer important insights relevant to a woman’s cycle, such as body temperature, heart rate or and sleep data, according to Shah.
Complementary to the offering are at-home semen test kits for men. Men contribute to nearly half of all known infertility cases, yet they are often not tested early enough. Just like women, men also have cycles; their sperm replenishes every 60 days. Contrary to popular belief, Shah said, fertility is a spectrum. Lifestyle factors like diet can affect a man’s cycle just as they can affect a woman’s, something most don’t realize.
Major barriers to getting men tested are stigma and inconvenience. A Maven poll found more than half of men wished they had tested their semen earlier, but more than a third avoided doing so because it was awkward or inconvenient. Now, Maven is teaming up with CLIA-certified diagnostics lab provider Fellow to offer home tests. Members will get their results digitally and can connect virtually with specialists to review the results and discuss next steps.
In offering at-home testing, Maven has discovered men are really interested in their sperm and in participating in the fertility journey. The at-home tests have been offered for more than six months already, and engagement is three times higher than what Maven anticipated. So far, 40% of men tested through Maven have received results indicating some abnormality that warranted a follow-up. This might be as simple as a lifestyle change or a more clinical intervention.
“We should be treating the couple together,” Shah said. “My hope is that women will not have to be a treatment surrogate for male issues for much longer.”
Maven’s Trying to Conceive offering helps people conceive naturally. Six in 10 members in the program get pregnant without treatment within six months on Maven, per the company. Importantly, having conception coaching offers most members peace of mind: 88% say they feel more productive at work.