We won’t stop until we can provide the right care at the right time for every body.
Recognising diversity in science is not just a tick box. Having data that's up to date, inclusive and representative of today’s population is the only way to drive scientific discovery forwards and create lasting, real-life impact that truly improves the health and wellbeing of everybody.
At Hertility, we stand by people of all backgrounds, abilities, sexualities, genders, ethnicities and religions. Our vision - to reinvent healthcare for every body - is not a small undertaking, but is one we take seriously. And the way to create meaningful change is incrementally, person by person.
We’re a small company with big ambition and in the hope of being as transparent as possible, we wanted to set out where we are right now and our commitment to making sustainable steps in the right direction.
“Healthcare was built for the white, middle-aged, healthy man. We’re not trying to retrofit everyone else into that system. Instead, we’re building an entirely new version of healthcare from the ground up. One designed with every single person in mind. One backed by relevant data and that’s evidence-based. One that is constantly reaching more and more people to provide the exact care that we know will work for them. It’s not going to happen overnight but we’re committed to our long-term vision and won’t stop until there is no body left behind” - Dr Helen O’Neill, Dr Natalie Getreu and Deirdre O’Neill - Founders of Hertility
We celebrate and support gender diversity and strive to make our language as inclusive as possible. We know we won’t always get it right but we are committed to staying up to date with the latest terminology and growing our community in this space. Currently, the Hertility kit can be used by anyone who is assigned female at birth, irrespective of their sexuality or current gender identity, to gain insight into their hormones and fertility. We can help women in heterosexual relationships, same-sex relationships, single women as well as people on their gender-affirming journey or those prior to transition. Our partner clinics support our mission with specialised routes to care and treatment pathways to help everyone on their individual reproductive health journeys.
We also recognise the inequalities that exist in the current healthcare system for ethnic minorities. From medical racial bias to increased time to diagnosis and being disproportionately affected by adverse health outcomes, something needs to change. And we believe that data is at the heart of the solution. Our ethnicity data is already more comprehensive than the current healthcare system, collecting data on over 90 ethnicities. So, not only are we tackling the current discrimination in healthcare, but we’re also improving knowledge of women’s healthcare in ethnic minority groups that have been underserved for too long.
Looking ahead, our focus is on 3 areas: care, research and community:
We recognise the need to be even more inclusive and create pathways to better serve every person. As our next step, we’re creating a new care pathway for same-sex female couples. To help them navigate the road to starting a family and make the experience more accessible, affordable and enjoyable. We know there are still communities we are yet to reach. But please know, we’re working to get to you.
We are committed to providing an inclusive and affirming environment for anyone on their reproductive journey. Through our research, we hope to bridge the current gaps in reproductive and sexual health, for gender and ethnically diverse populations. We will continue to evolve, and educate ourselves both as a company, and as individual employees to ensure inclusivity.
We may take longer to reach some of you. But we won’t stop until we can provide the right care at the right time for every body. Whilst it is in no way the community’s duty to educate us, we’d love to include you on our journey towards total inclusivity. If you have any questions or comments about our language or messaging, our inbox is always open.
We’re currently establishing more actionable goals. Check back soon.
