Time is infinite and human life is limited.
Most people have heard Schopenhauer ’s famous saying, but not everyone knows that the following sentence is followed: “People have adopted the method of reproduction in order to compete with unlimited time with limited time. Let your life last. This is the instinct of human reproduction.
Perhaps reproduction is really a human instinct. When people say they have to create something alive, most people choose to create a child.
High-tech companies have also discovered this. Even under conditions of high pressure and lack of material, human reproduction instincts still exist. And when they encounter difficulties in reproduction, whoever can solve this will have a golden key.
The huge commercial potential has also led more and more investors to look to the fertility industry and find the next unicorn.
▲ Picture from: Unsplash
The number of spermatozoa has decreased significantly, and sometimes it is not unwilling to give birth but it cannot be given birth
If the birth of a child is no different than before, then the fertility industry will not suddenly have so much investment in it.
So when so much investment goes into the field of fertility, you should think about a question-is it so difficult to have children now?
Yes, it’s really not easy to have children now. It is not because of economic pressure that they choose not to give birth, but because they cannot give birth.
Infertility, which was always talked about privately at a gathering of relatives in China two decades ago, is now a global issue.
The Fertility IQ Family Builder Index 2017-2018 data list, which has focused on fertility for many years, shows that one in eight Americans is suffering from infertility. This is an invisible “disease”, but it has this There are more people with this type of disease than people with diabetes, breast cancer, or Alzheimer’s disease.
▲ Picture from: medicina-online
In fact, having a child is never easy. About one-third of pregnancy processes will be spontaneous. Most abortions occur during the first trimester, and women may not know it.
In the past decade, IVF and IVF have become more popular fertility assistive technologies. Internet companies abroad use frozen eggs and in vitro fertilization as a basic employee benefit to attract more talented people. New York law even requires employees to exceedA company of 100 people must buy insurance for their employees and pay them for three IVF sessions.
But the popularity of IVF reflects a dangerous cultural concept that infertility is a problem for women.
Otherwise why in vitro fertilization? Since there is no problem with the sperm, it is because the egg is defective, and infertility is equivalent to the problem of the woman.
This may be the idea of many people. But in fact, even a couple using in vitro fertilization technology can’t prove who has the problem. It is unnecessary to win or lose in such a matter.
The only thing we can confirm is that the increase in infertility cases proves that contemporary men and women have indeed encountered many problems in having children. Different factors such as greater psychological pressure, more working hours, more environmental pollution, and the consumption of alcohol and drugs are affecting our bodies.
Professor of Tula University Allison P. Boyle said , they Data show that about 24% of married and childless women are diagnosed with impaired fertility, difficulty in pregnancy or dystocia.
And Research by the Hebrew University of Mount Sinai School of Medicine has shown Today, male fertility is, on average, only half that of their parents. Their sperm count dropped from 99 million per ejaculation in 1973 to 47 million per ejaculation in 2011. Over the past 40 years, their sperm counts have fallen by almost 60%, and they are decreasing at a rate of 1% per year.
Even though each ejaculation 47 million The sperm is still in the range of preparation standards , but it is closer to the number of spermatozoa per ejaculation, which is the standard of preparation.
▲ Picture from: The Verge < / a>
What did Silicon Valley do to make you have children?
In response to the worsening situation, more and more startups have emerged. They look for new opportunities in all aspects of prenatal monitoring, fertility assistance, and postnatal care.
Available as one of the companies that make wearables, it sells a $ 249 (1770 RMB) physiological cycle tracking sensor bracelet to women. In their view, this will make women’s fertility testing “seamless.” The medical technology startup collects data on nine different physiological parameters, including breathing, sleep, body temperature, pulse rate, heat loss, and heart rate.
Glow, founded in San Francisco in 2013, is doing a similar business. Since its founders also include a co-founder of PayPal, it has gained more media attention. As an ovulation calculator, menstrual tracker, and fertility calendar, Glow is known as a “menstrual fitbit” and has already received investment from SoftBank.
The Berlin-based startup Inne is using biochemistry and machine learning to help women “track” their hormones, and an app to help women understand their daily fertility and their reproductive window.
Prelude Fertility is providing prospective reproductive care for maternity families, who currently have a systemic fertility The clinic network can provide fertility services in the future, and its services include in vitro fertilization, egg donation, frozen eggs and genetic testing.
Unlike To C companies, it sells its services to the world’s richest companies and attracts the world’s best employees to To B companies like Stork Club and Carrot Fertility.
They help employees get matching resources when facing fertility issues and help them manage costs. They also provide training to patients to help them understand the risks and benefits of various surgeries, including IVF and frozen eggs.
▲ Picture from: Progyny Official promotion
Future Family also lowers the bar for expensive technologies like IVF. They set up a $ 100 million fertility fund to provide clients with IVF and frozen egg programs, starting at $ 250 / month.
Of course, in the areas of IVF and frozen eggs, there are new startups such as Extend Fertility, Modern Fertility, Kindbody, and She ’s Well. To provide customers with comprehensive fertility services, competition in this area is not fierce.
