New app helps support patients looking to fill IVF treatment gaps

As estimated one in six Canadian adults is impacted by infertility. In vitro fertilization is one option for people looking to start a family.

Carolynn Dubé remembers the pressure she shouldered at the beginning of her in vitro fertilization journey, especially as she braced herself to administer the required medications.

“You’re standing there at your bathroom counter and you’re thinking, I can’t screw this up,” said Dubé, the executive director of Fertility Matters based out of Moncton, N.B.

IVF medications often require precise timing for them to work as intended. While fertility clinics will explain what is required, patients and their partners usually handle the injections at home.

“It does create increased anxiety and worry, especially when you get to the point of mixing or injecting,” Dubé said. “You’re wanting to make sure for 100 per cent that you’re doing it correctly, because so much is riding on these medications.”

As estimated, one in six Canadian adults is impacted by infertility, according to Fertility Matters Canada. In vitro fertilization is one option for people looking to start a family. However, the process can cost a lot of money and time. Plus, there are no guarantees.

IVF patients frequently hit a snag when questions arise — say, about a nighttime dose — because their clinics are closed when they need answers most.

Entrepreneur Jessica Schaefer had a similar experience.“If you’ve gone through the process, it’s very ‘do-it-yourself doctor,’” Schaefer explains. “You’re doing it at home alone, or if you have your partner, your partner is doing it, and you’re mixing anywhere between 10 to 12 fertility drugs, and it’s complicated. When I went through it, I had no idea what I was doing.”

Schaefer founded a concierge fertility service called Lushi. Ahead of the company’s December 2024 launch, Schaefer spoke with Global News at the Web Summit international technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal.