{Startup watch: BabyReady} Simplifying infertility by connecting couples to the right info & clinics

This women’s reproductive healthcare platform aims to become the preferred patient engagement partner for IVF and fertility clinics in India.

Millions of couples suffer from infertility in India. Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction reports that 10 -14% of Indian couples suffer from infertility. One in four couples in developing countries are affected by infertility, and about 48.5 million couples experience infertility worldwide. 

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According to a study by Inito, a Bengaluru-based medtech company, 27.5 million couples are suffering from infertility and actively seeking children.

However, more than the problem of infertility itself, is the problem of lack of awareness regarding the concept.

BabyReady, a women’s reproductive healthcare platform, is simplifying infertility for such couples. They have partnered with top fertility and IVF clinics like Indira IVF, Bloom IVF, Nova IVF, and healthcare financers like Credit Fair to help women get access to the right treatment at the right cost. The platform aims to become the preferred patient engagement partner for IVF and fertility clinics in India.

 The Tech Panda spoke to Snneha Lukaa, Co-founder of BabyReady.

With BabyReady, we want to ensure complete transparency for the patient and help them connect with right doctors who could possibly help them take the right line of treatment

“People are highly unaware of what they are signing up for when they undergo infertility treatment like IVF, IUI or ICSI. They simply opt for it thinking that it is the only way to conceive,” she says.

“With BabyReady, we want to ensure complete transparency for the patient and help them connect with right doctors who could possibly help them take the right line of treatment,” she adds.

Infertility: A Growing Problem

Couples seeking a child face a gamut of problems such as expensive treatments, lack of transparency, difficulty in choosing the right service provider, and unavailability of insurance. Moreover, they have to deal with the stress and anxiety, while often facing a lack of support from friends and families.

For BabyReady, what started with 10-15 calls per day has become 80 on average. This speaks about a large number of people who need assistance and guidance to understand how the entire process works.

Indian couples generally think that IVF or surrogacy is the only option when they are trying to conceive. But clearly that is not the case as we have had instances, where couples have conceived naturally by just taking a few medications

There is also occurrence of fraud with regard to IVF, where the couple ends up misguided. Lack of proper knowledge and awareness often drive couples to trust misguided information/treatment.

“Indian couples generally think that IVF or surrogacy is the only option when they are trying to conceive. But clearly that is not the case as we have had instances, where couples have conceived naturally by just taking a few medications. Also, people who opt for such treatments are unaware and misguided.

What They Do

BabyReady offers a complete package starting from free consultation from top fertility clinics, No Cost EMIs, to Support across the lifecycle with diagnostic partners, stem-cell banks, and therapists.

To remain transparent their services are available in vernacular languages. Through the platform, which is available in iOS and Android, couples can engage with a community of thousands of like-minded people and access unbiased advice on treatments and clinics.

We have a panel of experts who also answer patient queries. Other patients can also openly share their experiences, without being judged through our anonymous feature

BabyReady offers end-to-end services to guide couples through their infertility treatment journey. This includes doctor consultations starting at INR 150, providing end-to-end support to about 7,000 couples undergoing infertility treatment, right from finding the right doctor and clinics to offering loans and connecting with others going through similar processes.

The startup’s first goal is to provide information on the different kinds of treatment available, such as egg and sperm freezing, hysteroscopy, ICSI, IVF, and IUI. Couples from 21-65 years are then connected to gynaecologists and infertility specialists.

“We have an active community which offers support to couples who are trying to conceive. In the community, we have a panel of experts who also answer patient queries. Other patients can also openly share their experiences, without being judged through our anonymous feature,” says Lukaa.

“Patients can also avail loan for IVF and other infertility treatments through our finance partner Credit Fair. We have also tied up with 100+ clinics PAN India where patients can avail FREE consultation,” she adds.

Inspiration & Origin

The idea for BabyReady came when Lukaa was working with NBFCs that dealt with providing finance for infertility treatments.

“I came across patients who were unaware of the treatment and simply opted for it just going by the doctor’s advice, without having a complete understanding of the process. Also, not being aware of the success rate of the treatment. Here, I felt bridging the gap was important which is when the idea of BabyReady was born,” she recalls.

Infertility is still considered to be a taboo and we have come across spouses who want to hide their issue from their better halves thinking that it would lead to a breakdown in their relationship

When starting the company, Lukaa faced the challenge of couples not ready to come out in the open about their infertility issues.

“Infertility is still considered to be a taboo and we have come across spouses who want to hide their issue from their better halves thinking that it would lead to a breakdown in their relationship. There have also been instances where couples have hidden about their treatment from their immediate family members,” she adds.

Growth Story

In the year that they’ve been operative, BabyReady have facilitated over 60 couples to conceive naturally and more than 120 have opted for IVF.

They have also onboarded more than 50 doctors/clinics and received over 15,000 enquiries. The loan applications they receive have run into over 350 until now.

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“Our community, financial assistance, and pre consultation service with counsellors and doctors gives us an edge over others. What mainly sets us apart is that we are a niche platform-only dealing in infertility,” says Lukaa.

In the future, the startup plans to offer customized fertility packages and also start with natural pregnancy plans. They are also tying up with pharma and diagnostic companies to provide additional discounts to patients. 

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