Carea has introduced a digital support feature for people undergoing IVF, IUI and egg freezing, as clinics across the UK face rising demand and mounting concerns about fragmented care between appointments.

The London-based pregnancy and postnatal platform has added a “Trying to Conceive: IVF/IUI Mode” to its app, designed to support patients with the day-to-day realities of treatment that take place away from clinical settings.

This includes managing medication schedules, administering injections and keeping track of complex protocols at home.

Anastasia Shubareva-Epshtein, founder and chief executive of Carea, said the new feature was shaped partly by her own experience.

“It’s the tool I wish I’d had when I was going through IVF,” Shubareva-Epshtein said, describing the isolation and uncertainty that can accompany treatment.

More than 100,000 fertility treatment cycles were carried out in UK clinics last year, according to industry figures cited by Carea.

Specialists have warned that increasing volumes are contributing to a more transactional experience, with reduced continuity between consultations and limited opportunities for patients to raise questions outside scheduled appointments.

At the core of the new feature is a medication tracker, allowing users to input a personalised treatment plan, set reminders and log doses.

Step-by-step video guidance on medication preparation and self-injection is also included.

The mode offers IVF-focused educational content, such as expert-led articles and podcasts, alongside affirmations tailored to the emotional pressures of fertility treatment.

A visual progress indicator helps users see where they are in their cycle.

The feature was developed with input from women currently undergoing fertility treatment, including those managing multiple medications daily while balancing work and family life.

Although IVF is often portrayed as closely monitored, much of the practical workload falls to patients at home.

Daily injections, precise timing and last-minute protocol changes can add significant stress, particularly during the gaps between appointments.

The launch comes amid ongoing disparities in access to fertility services.

NHS-funded IVF accounts for around 27 per cent of treatments, according to public data referenced by Carea, and many local authorities fund only one cycle for eligible women under 40.

As a result, a substantial number of patients turn to private providers, where costs can run into several thousand pounds per cycle, excluding medication and additional procedures.

Dr Anil Gudi, founder of Fertility Plus and medical adviser at Carea, said many patients report a lack of continuity in care.

He said: “Unfortunately, IVF care in the UK is becoming increasingly impersonal.”

An open science initiative is accelerating work on non-hormonal contraceptives by targeting a sperm-specific enzyme linked to fertility.

The research focuses on developing a pill that works differently from hormonal contraception by temporarily disabling a protein found almost exclusively in sperm, rather than altering a woman’s hormonal cycle.

The target is an enzyme called phosphoglycerate kinase 2, or PGK2, which is critical for energy production and sperm movement.

Researchers believe that blocking PGK2 prevents sperm from generating the energy needed to swim and reach or fertilise an egg. Because the enzyme is largely confined to sperm cells, this approach could avoid many of the systemic side effects associated with hormonal contraceptives.

The work is led by the UNC Structural Genomics Consortium within the University of North Carolina’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy and is funded by the Gates Foundation as part of a broader effort to accelerate women’s health innovation.

Tim Willson, chief scientist for the consortium’s North Carolina programme, said: “Pregnancy is one of the major drivers of poverty in many of these countries.

“Giving women more control over when they conceive is a key area to make a real impact.

“What makes PGK2 so interesting is that it’s almost exclusively expressed in sperm cells. We suspect that if you can selectively inhibit this enzyme, the sperm can’t generate the energy they need to function.”

The consortium plays a central role in the Gates Foundation’s Contraceptive Drug Accelerator, a global network of academic laboratories working to identify and validate new drug targets for non-hormonal contraception.

Scientists from institutions in the US and India meet weekly to share data, compounds and findings.

In line with its open science approach, all aspects of the project are carried out openly, with no intellectual property restrictions.

“That’s where you really see open science at work,” Willson said.

“Every compound we make and every dataset we generate is shared immediately, which allows us to move incredibly fast.”

Since the project began in May 2025, the team has developed five highly selective probe compounds, an unusually rapid pace for early-stage drug discovery.

These compounds are now being distributed across the Gates Foundation’s Contraceptive Drug Accelerator network for testing in sperm function models.

“That specificity is the goal,” Willson said.

“We’re trying to shut down sperm function without interfering with the hormonal cycles that regulate women’s health.”

Researchers note that the work remains at an early stage and that any resulting contraceptive would still be several years away from clinical use.

“At the end of the day, the more we understand about human biology, the better drugs we can make,” Willson said.

“Open science removes barriers and lets the best ideas rise to the top.”