Kathrin Deutschle began undergoing fertility treatments at age 35, making her one of more than 7 million women in the U.S. who’ve turned to fertility treatments to get pregnant. She took a test to assess her “fertility age” and eventually decided to freeze her eggs.
“I’m pretty open about it, because I know that other people struggle with it,” Deutchle said. “Some people don’t share certain things, but I think it’s good to be open and show people that they’re not alone in this journey.”
Her fertility experience was the inspiration for founding emBorrow, a Chicago startup that aims to help others with fertility obstacles.
Launched alongside co-founder Michael Anzola in July 2018, emBorrow provides financial, emotional and educational resources to individuals looking to conceive. emBorrow was one of the 10 startups admitted into the 10th WiSTEM cohort at 1871 and is now pursuing investors for its seed round of funding.
emBorrow provides users with installment plans to help them pay for fertility treatments, with interest rates ranging from 7.99% to 14.99%. With the average in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle costing more than $22,000, and because for many women the procedure isn't covered by insurance, the cost of fertility treatment can send many families into debt or turn them away from the process entirely.
The startup also connects users with a community of people who’ve undergone surrogacy, egg donors and other fertility procedures; a network of physicians and nurses familiar with fertility; and additional wellness support like yoga and fertility acupuncture.
The company currently operates only in Illinois. Deutschle said emBorrow aims to grow nationwide, beginning with expansion in New York, Florida and Texas because of their populations of single women in their 20s to early 30s.
“They work. They’re career-oriented. And we feel that’s where the market is where those females are interested in preserving their fertility,” Deutschle said.
She added that the company’s goal is to enlist doctors and nurses to provide fertility educational and coaching support.
The startup is also working to introduce a LendingTree-like investment tool that will allow investors to finance the loans individuals and couples borrow for fertility treatment payment assistance.
As the country nears the 2020 U.S. presidential election, so has the topic of healthcare reform in the American political dialogue. If the country experiences massive changes to its healthcare system, which could range from the expansion of the Affordable Care Act exchanges to introducing government-subsidized healthcare for every American, Deutschle doesn’t anticipate such changes having much of an effect on the company.
Many health insurance companies don’t currently cover fertility treatments in full, Deutschle said, adding that she has to cover her fertility treatments like embryo testing.
“Insurance may not cover the holistic support that people need when going through fertility treatments such as acupuncture, nutrition, yoga, sometimes mental health,” Deutschle said. “It’s not that insurance is going to cover every little thing.”
For now, the company aims to serve women in their mid- to late-20s and early 30s whose insurance may not cover fertility planning procedures and don’t have quite enough saved to cover those costs out of pocket, Deutschle said.
“We believe in empowering women and couples and supporting them through their journey to tomorrow’s family,” Deutschle said. “We feel that anybody who wants to be a parent should have that opportunity and they shouldn’t feel that they can’t take that step because they can’t afford it.”
