Startup launches to transform IVF and egg freezing experience for women

Lushi, a women-led start-up, has launched to offer treatments, clinics, and wellness platforms in order to help transform the IVF and egg freezing experience for women.

Women can use Lushi to hire injection specialists to administer fertility shots, use remote monitoring to support them through the process. Women will also have access to ‘My Fertility Plan,’ a 12-week personalised guide that includes a nutrition plan, step-by-step instructions for egg freezing, and a post-treatment plan to help women reset their weight and hormone levels.

The company will also be providing at-home injection specialists in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, and Boston for $5000, and will offer virtual support nationwide.

Through the Lushi app, women can invite spouses, partners, and friends to create a community to support them, foster connections, and minimise the stress and anxiety from going through it alone.

“There is a fertility crisis in this country that translates into a very personal question for millions of American women every day,” said Lushi CEO, Founder, and Point72 Asset Management alum, Jessica Schaefer.

“We believe every woman should have the option to build a family when they want to, but the hoops women have to jump through to have a child are not only a burden, but dehumanising. Lushi – a company led by women like me, someone with first-hand knowledge of this – is going to help solve that problem by making it more humane and easier.”

“We have a fertility crisis and media reports have recognised that we have a parallel access to treatment crisis– a ‘fertility desert,’ where large numbers of reproductive age women in this country say it is difficult to obtain fertility services in their state,” said chief medical officer Dr. Mana Baskovic.

“We intend to help fill this significant void.”

“The IVF industry isn’t responsive enough and Lushi will be offering women a different experience, designed by women to make women feel comfortable and confident as they undergo fertility treatments.”

Lushi will also introduce basic- and tiered-membership plans designed to provide personalised support for individuals navigating their fertility journeys.

“This is deeply personal for me,” Schaefer said.

“I’ve been through this. They sent me home with fertility drugs to mix, a biohazard bucket and frighteningly long needles I had to jab myself with. You can be the brightest and savviest woman and still be unnerved by this process.”

“No woman should have to go through this and so we’ve designed the entire Lushi experience – starting with our AI-powered app – to make this trying time less stressful, more women-friendly and, ultimately, increase the chances of conception.”

Lushi plans to expand its services in 2025 to include community-based fertility wellness pop-up spas and a flagship Injection Bar to provide patients with a calming environment tailored to their fertility needs by providing injections on site, fertility-optimising mocktails, and yoga sessions designed to bolster egg quality and overall experience.

The spas will also feature mental health support to help women navigate the emotions on their fertility journey.