56 min

At Univfy, Mylene Yao Is Making IVF More Predictable and Affordable The Harry Glorikian Show

    • Medicine

About half a million babies are born every year through IVF. That number would probably be a lot higher if the procedure were cheaper and more accessible—but making that happen would mean transforming IVF from an artisanal craft into something more like a modern automated factory, with AI helping doctors and technicians make faster and better decisions at every step. And that’s exactly what Harry's guest Mylene Yao, the co-founder of Univfy, is doing. Univfy helps patients with two aspects of the IVF process. The first is using machine learning to provide patients with a more accurate assessment of the odds of success, before they decide whether to invest in one or more IVF cycles, which can cost up to $30,000 per cycle. The second is financing. Univfy works with a bank called Lightstream to provide up to $100,000 in financing for up to three rounds of IVF, with a large refund as part of the deal if the treatments don’t result in a baby. Harry talks with Dr. Yao about the prospects for far broader access to IVF, now that the field is finally adopting more ideas from the worlds of technology and finance.

About half a million babies are born every year through IVF. That number would probably be a lot higher if the procedure were cheaper and more accessible—but making that happen would mean transforming IVF from an artisanal craft into something more like a modern automated factory, with AI helping doctors and technicians make faster and better decisions at every step. And that’s exactly what Harry's guest Mylene Yao, the co-founder of Univfy, is doing. Univfy helps patients with two aspects of the IVF process. The first is using machine learning to provide patients with a more accurate assessment of the odds of success, before they decide whether to invest in one or more IVF cycles, which can cost up to $30,000 per cycle. The second is financing. Univfy works with a bank called Lightstream to provide up to $100,000 in financing for up to three rounds of IVF, with a large refund as part of the deal if the treatments don’t result in a baby. Harry talks with Dr. Yao about the prospects for far broader access to IVF, now that the field is finally adopting more ideas from the worlds of technology and finance.

56 min