In our Maven Insights series, we dive into what our data tells us about our impact and approach, and what we’re learning from how our members interact with Maven. As a data-enabled women’s health and family benefits solution, we’re always thinking about what our members’ engagement tells us about how we can improve.

DID YOU KNOW?

43% of members come to Maven without a fertility clinic.  

The decision to start IVF, research fertility treatment options, or go through egg freezing is emotionally charged and challenging. Most individuals don’t know where to begin. The information they’re looking for—education on treatment types, expert advice, and guidance to find the best fertility clinic for their unique needs—is often impossible to find.

As you consider the best fertility benefits packages to meet the demands of your employees and remain competitive in today’s job market, fertility clinic steerage and navigation support should be a key component. Helping your employees find the right fertility clinic for them can make all the difference for driving outcomes, improving patient experience, reducing the number of rounds of treatments, addressing often unmet holistic needs, and drastically lowering costs.

Here are five reasons why this matters

1. Finding a clinic is challenging and stressful for your employees

Many individuals state that finding a clinic is one of the most stressful aspects of fertility or egg freezing. 74% of respondents in a recent Healthline survey said they used Google for information on where to begin, what to look for when researching clinics, the questions to ask, and how to weigh inputs to make the right decision.

“What I needed most was someone to guide me, demystify costs, and answer my questions. I was left Googling on my own,” explained one Maven member about their biggest pain point for the fertility process before they were able to enroll with Maven Fertility through their employer.

2. Fertility journeys are unique and require personalized support

While we’ve seen a rise in awareness and education around fertility treatments and egg freezing in recent years, there are also more options than ever before for individuals to assess and navigate, often without expert guidance or the support of someone else who has been through the same process. This is where search engines and online communities fall short.

Fertility is extremely specific and requires personalized support at every step of the journey— beginning with selecting the right fertility clinic. Every individual’s fertility, egg quality, sperm health, uterine lining, medical history, or the like is unique to them. When individuals have access to 1:1 guidance and navigation with a trusted partner who has their personal health and goals in mind, their outcomes can be greatly improved.

3. Fertility clinics are extremely important for outcomes

For a fertility clinic and doctors, a personalized approach ultimately leads to fewer rounds of treatment because the right assessment is made at the outset and expectations are set. Rather than jumping directly into testing or treatment, clinics that put the individual patient at the center of their care model focus on evaluating an individual patient, fully assessing their options, and discussing their treatment paths and potential outcomes.

When fertility clinics are outcomes-driven and patient-centered, they have individuals’ best interests in mind, including:

• Thorough evaluation and clear communication of what treatment options are available to them and what the likely outcomes are for each
• Fewest rounds needed to achieve a live birth
• Least amount of time between start of treatment and live birth
• Lowest costs
• Positive interactions with their providers and clinic staff

The success rates for a fertility clinic—measuring live births through each round of treatment like IVF—is a trusted indicator for whether the clinic is focused on these outcomes.

““What I needed most was someone to guide me, demystify costs, and answer my questions.” - one Maven member on their biggest pain point as they started the fertility navigation process

4. The quality of the fertility laboratory must be a key consideration

Embryologists say that the difference between an average laboratory and a state-of-the-art laboratory can double an individual’s chances of taking home a baby, according to FertilityIQ. The fertility lab is where success in terms of live births is ultimately determined: fragile and delicate eggs are preserved, the best sperm is identified and selected, eggs are inseminated, and, ultimately, healthy embryos are developed and either transferred for implantation or frozen and preserved for future use. When evaluating and considering a fertility clinic, individuals need to probe the quality and outcomes of the clinic’s lab by considering key factors like implantation rate and live birth rate, along with the lab’s equipment and procedures, its commitment to research and technology, its reputation in terms of scientific techniques and leadership in the field of fertility, and its team (researchers, embryologists, andrologists, etc.).

5. Steering your employees to the right fertility clinics lowers your costs

The fertility clinic that your employee selects for fertility evaluation and treatment greatly impacts your costs and your employee’s satisfaction and outcomes. The average IVF cycle costs $23,000 and most individuals go through between 2.3-2.7 cycles, meaning a total cost of around $57,000 per individual. If you’re among the 1 in 5 employers providing fertility reimbursement benefits to your employees that is around the $20,000 average reimbursement limit, your coverage may not be enough for your employee to reach their goal of becoming a parent.

The right fertility clinic helps to manage that cost by helping each individual achieve their desired outcomes with the fewest rounds of treatment necessary.  

How we fill gaps in guidance and care

With Maven, a member has a dedicated Care Advocate from the start, asking them the right questions about their needs and any fertility evaluations or struggles to-date, setting expectations and providing transparency in terms of time and costs, and understanding their ideal outcomes in order to guide them to the highest-quality fertility clinic for their unique needs.  

In order to ensure we’re driving our members to only the best fertility clinics with high success and patient satisfaction rates, Maven has strategic partnerships with some of the leading fertility clinics around the world, including CCRM and Shady Grove.

So, when 43% of Maven members come to us without a fertility clinic, our approach makes all the difference.