OVUM

We're hiring for two incredible roles at OVUM. If you're a self-starter, keen to revolutionise the face (and everything else) of reproduction and fertility and willing to be comfortable with being uncomfortable then we're the company for you. We're hiring - A COO/Head of Ops (DOE) ⚙ - to manage the supply chain, improve processes and manage supplier relationships. - A Head of Sales & Partnerships 👯♀️ - to establish retail revenue and drive retail growth. Attention to detail and problem-solving are key to both roles. Link to Head of Sales & Partnerships role is in the comments... Please apply or share with anyone you think may be a good fit! ✅

"I have been so impressed with Ovum's Time to Conceive supplement, both due to its scientifically-backed ingredients, and also thanks to the impressive customer service I have received from the company. I am finding my TTC journey really psychologically difficult, and it is a huge comfort to know that Time to Conceive contains all the 'right things' to be supporting my natural fertility, egg quality, etc" A customer recently left us this review. And receiving messages like this is what keeps us going.⁠ At OVUM we're here for more than just our products. We're here to support our customers at every stage of their fertility journey, and help provide information and a safe space for anyone is trying-to-conceive. As any founder/first stage employee will know, starting a business is hard. Starting a female founded business is hard (I'm sure we've all seen the recent commentary on funding stats). Starting a business in an underfunded sector is hard. But when you get feedback like this, it just drives home that our mission is so important. There are so many people out there struggling with infertility, that if we can help comfort just one more person struggling with finding science-backed products, then it's all worth it. From the GOAT of fertility, to the GOAT of gymnastics, we think that deserves a high-10!

The latest annual report by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has just been released with some interesting findings. If you’re going through fertility struggles, you’re probably already aware of the pitfalls of IVF provision in the UK and the postcode lottery. Anyone who is struggling to conceive SHOULD be offered 3 cycles of IVF on the NHS. And whilst we’re super lucky to have the NHS, there is widespread variation in how available it is in each area means that the NICE guidelines for IVF are rarely met. Some of the most interesting stats to come out of this latest HFEA report are that only 1 in 4 cycles during 2022 were paid for by the NHS, a steep decline on the previously presented figure of 40% from 2012! When looking at the average age of those undergoing IVF, this has risen to 35.1, a 6 year increase on the average age of those who have given birth for the first time. Some of these figures relate to the aforementioned issues with the NHS, with funding being cut for IVF, delays from COVID and trouble with self-funding cycles. Whilst this report addresses UK fertility stats, there's further barriers to starting a family in the US, with even wider variations in health coverage. Here at OVUM we believe that anyone who wants to have children should be afforded the opportunity to do so. Some of the coverage of this report has suggested that women are leaving it too late and focusing on their careers instead. Perpetuating the narrative that infertility is a female problem. We call bullsh*t on this. Rather than blaming women or afab folks for having children later on in life, we need to address the barriers to starting a family instead. HFEA’s chair, Julia Chain, has also addressed this coverage, stating that HFEA “do not judge, blame or criticise those who are accessing treatment at any stage”, a much needed comment. Whilst families take many different forms, we need to move away from blaming women for figures such as these, as if men aren't involved in the conception process at all!

And we are live with Unfabled... 💥 You can now buy our market leading fertility products through https://unfabled.co. When we look for brands to partner with, we want to make sure they share the same values as us. Companies that look to innovate and set new standards in their sector. Unfabled do just that. Hannah Samano and Co are aiming to tackle the gender health gap in the UK through creating an online marketplace for women's health, coupled with offering personalised insights through their data science. We're so excited for the next chapter in expanding the OVUM community with Unfabled. Thanks so much to Hannah Giraudeau for the support in getting us live. You can shop us on Unfabled's site now!

From singing her heart out at Taylor Swift to presenting at the British Menopause Society to attending the annual European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) meeting in Amsterdam, our Co-Chief Medical Officer Phoebe Howells has had a busy couple of weeks. This year's ESHRE happened to coincide with Taylor Swift's Amsterdam Tour Dates, although fortunately Phoebe managed to snag some tickets for the London dates so she didn't have to miss out. It's always been a Love Story between Phoebe and helping struggling couples to try and conceive since her first lecture on Reproductive Medicine. But never in her Wildest Dreams did she believe that she'd be able to see Queen Tay and go to ESHRE within a week of each other. For those of you not in the know, going to ESHRE is akin to seeing Taylor Swift at a sold out Wembley (yes we're continuing with the Taylor Swift analogies). Congrats Phoebe, what a Fortnight it's been. We're The Lucky One(s) to have you on our team.

It's Plastic Free Month, which seems as good a time as any to share that OVUM achieved it's B Corp certification from B Lab UK this year. ⁠ Being a Certified B Corp™ is all about being better, both for the planet and those who inhabit it. It means we’re accountable, transparent, and trusted, and we have been verified as meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. ⁠ ⁠⁠ So how did we do it? B Corps are assessed across five key areas: Governance, Environment, Workers, Community, and Customers. To become certified, you must achieve at least 80 points in the assessment, and we’re proud to have achieved a whopping score of 91.7. From the beginning, we created our products with these areas in mind, ensuring that sustainability and our customers were always at the heart of everything we did. ⁠ ⁠ With the goal of being transparent, we wanted to share 3 of the ways we consider our environmental impact at OVUM: ♻ We created the first fully recyclable pregnancy test. We set about creating a test that is both easily recyclable and still a high-quality product. We include a prepaid envelope in each box of tests, allowing you to post your used tests (and the test wrappers and desiccants) back to our recycling team. We worked with a partner who uses a patented technology to return the plastic back to its original oil state which allows it to be recycled!. We acknowledge the use of virgin plastic in our pregnancy tests is not ideal, but by ensuring they’re fully recyclable we can offer the best current solution to keeping used tests out of landfill! But we haven’t stopped there - through the sale of these tests we fund and continue to innovate by working on the next version of this test which won’t have any plastic. Which brings us nicely onto the next point… ♻ Until then, our product is certified and registered with the rePurpose Global waste reduction initiative as a Plastic Negative product. For every test purchased, OVUM funds the removal of twice as much plastic from the environment as is produced in making the test (thanks so much Twinkle Minocha for your help on this). ♻ Through using sustainable delivery packaging. Right from the start, we have made conscious efforts to minimise the use of packaging used in shipping our products to you and prioritise a plastic-free approach whilst ensuring your products arrive with you in perfect condition.  ⁠ Reducing our plastic output is just one part of being a B Corp, and at OVUM we remain fully focused on committing to better ourselves day in and day out, so you know you are supporting a brand that truly cares. ⁠

Sainsbury's didn't have any pregnancy tests that catered to the trying to conceive community (ttc)... until this year! We went nationwide In April, bringing fully recyclable pregnancy tests for the first time EVER to one of the U.K's largest supermarkets. As a small brand, it is so inspiring to us that we can help Sainsbury's support the ttc community, making it even more accessible to use fully recyclable pregnancy early detection pregnancy tests at home. We're aiming to redefine the fertility category, one health & wellness shelf at a time... Thanks so much to Maddy Fox MacKean, Ludivine Doyen, Lucy Vaughan, Clare Downing and everyone else at Sainsbury's for believing in OVUM and supporting our launch. If you want to check the tests out for yourselves, find your nearest store at the link in comments! #retail #newbrand #launch

Last week Jenny Wordsworth, founder of OVUM, participated in the Women's Launch Lab incubator as part of NWEW and what a week it was! We're thrilled to have been selected from hundreds of applications as the Scale Up Category Winner 📈 🎉, a huge win for OVUM as we enter our next stage of growth in revolutionising the fertility industry . Congrats to the nine other incredible founders who took part and Beatrice Larkin for winning the Start Up Category 💙 . We were honoured to be selected alongside such inspirational Women. Thanks so much to NWEW, Dorsett Hospitality International, Akshata Murty, Business & IP Centre, Alison Cork MBE and everyone else involved in making this incubator such a valuable week. Above all, thank you to everyone supporting female entrepreneurs. Together we're making positive changes and redefining success, and as a small brand, we couldn't be prouder of this! #femalefounders #womeninbusiness #incubator

We're going stateside 🌎 . Our CMO, Rhiannon Davis, and Head of US Partnerships, Samantha Oliver, will be in New York next week for the Femtech & Consumer Innovation Summit by Kisaco Research. Sam has been selected to present at the Innovation Showcase on the 5th June alongside Aspivix, Embody, FemiSpace, K'ept Health, Motivity Care, Palpa®, Pelex, PherDal Fertility Science, Inc. and Vital Start Health. If you're there come and say hi 👋 👋 👋

At OVUM we're proud to be Patient Information Forum (PIF) TICK verified. In fact, we've pleased to share that we've just renewed our accreditation for the second year. For those of you new to the PIF TICK, think of it as the gold standard in health information that you can trust. It is the only UK-wide quality mark for health information. As we set out to change the face of reproductive wellness, it was our priority from day one of launching the brand to become a PIF certified entity. Everyone at Team OVUM understands how overwhelming trying to conceive can be, and the desperation (we don’t love that word!) of trying to find an answer online as to what might be preventing you from conceiving and bringing a baby home. Or even just a simple explanation of how your cycle works and timing conception! Find out more about what it means to us in our latest blog written by our founder, Jenny Wordsworth! https://lnkd.in/eSejaYtQ