Anna Figiel: Fertility Is Biological, But the Decisions Around It Are Not…
Anna Figiel, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Irresist.io, shared on LinkedIn:
“Fertility is biological, but the decisions around it are not. And what does it mean for fertility care?
I have to admit, I have been thinking about this a lot lately.
When we talk about fertility, we naturally look at the medical side: age, ovarian reserve, sperm quality, diagnosis, treatment options. These factors matter. But they are not the whole story.
During my PhD in medical anthropology, I became interested in how people experience healthcare – how they make sense of what is happening to them, make decisions, and navigate healthcare within the context of their lives. I find this perspective particularly relevant to fertility care.
Because the medical factors are only one part of the picture. The social environment in which fertility decisions are made is something else entirely.
Financial pressure is one factor, but there are many others: being single, waiting for the right relationship, career, social expectations, fear of diagnosis or treatment, psychological experiences, and simply not feeling ready to make a decision.
Even when financial barriers are reduced, these other factors do not disappear. People may still postpone seeking help or deciding to start treatment.
This is why I think we need to look more closely at the biography of the individual patient, not only their medical history. The biology may be similar, but the journey that surrounds it may be entirely different.
And this is where I see an opportunity for fertility care. Technology can help us understand that journey earlier – not only when someone becomes a patient, but while they are still trying to understand their options and decide what to do next.
It can make this previously invisible part of the journey more visible – and create opportunities to reach people earlier, understand what they need and support them at a moment when it can still make a difference.
Because sometimes, changing the journey does not mean changing the biology. It means helping someone reach the right care at the right moment.”
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