The FemTech industry has experienced spectacular growth in a relatively short space of time. As female-focused health technology continues to boom, providing significant health benefits to women all over the world, a clear upward trajectory in female health innovations promises to correlate with an increase in patent filings in this space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following on from her previous articles focusing on FemTech, trainee patent attorney Hester Sheehan takes a closer look at fertility tech, a crucial player in the FemTech field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the World Health Organisation, 15% of couples of reproductive age are affected by fertility problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite being a global health problem, and something that as many as 1 in 6 couples experience, innovation in the fertility field has largely stalled since the invention of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in the 1970s. Given the highly complex biology of successful fertilisation as well as the regulatory and ethical considerations governing research and development within this sector, fertility-focused innovation has been slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, awareness about infertility is steadily growing and FemTech companies are making pioneering efforts to redefine available fertility options and create better diagnostic solutions to help both women and men understand the underlying cause of their infertility.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Many couples struggling to conceive are under the misconception that IVF is the only option for a successful pregnancy. In the UK alone, approximately 70,000 cycles of IVF are performed each year with disappointing success rates as well as significant emotional burdens placed on couples trying for a baby. There is clearly a growing demand for fertility treatment options that improve upon IVF and similarly invasive procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n B\u00e9a Fertility is one company moving away from IVF as the \u201cgo-to\u201d option, offering clinical-level fertility treatment in the comfort of women\u2019s own homes. The company, which launched its B\u00e9a treatment in July 2023, offer the UK\u2019s first intracervical insemination-based (ICI) fertility treatment alongside embryologist-led support and describes its technology as a \u201cmodern take\u201d on the well-known clinical treatment of intracervical insemination. The principle behind the treatment is simple yet effective, and makes use of the \u201cB\u00e9a applicator\u201d, a specially designed medical device which places semen high up in the cervix to increase the chances of fertilisation. We expect this move away from invasive and hormone-reliant treatment to set a trend in innovation within this sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another common misconception is that infertility is largely a female problem. This could not be further from the truth and, in fact, men are just as likely as women to suffer from infertility. The incidence of male infertility is rising globally and yet discussions about male fertility remain very much a taboo topic rarely touched upon in conversations about men\u2019s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One startup company whose mission is to break down the barriers surrounding male infertility is Jack Fertility.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIVF is not the only way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Infertility: not just a women\u2019s issue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n