FertilityIQ: Meet the Founders Behind One of the Most Trusted Fertility Review Websites on the Internet

Imagine being confronted with infertility. What if your doctor thought childbearing just wasn’t in the cards for you and your family? Imagine the stress and panic you and your partner would feel if you were told you’re just not able to have children.

This is exactly what happened to FertilityIQ founders Jake and Deborah Anderson-Bialis in 2012.

This strong couple used their experience with infertility to help other couples who were in the same boat make smarter choices about their health and educate them on their options. In 2016, Jake and Deborah quit their jobs and launched FertilityIQ – one of the most trusted fertility review sites online.

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Jake and Deborah were in grad school when they met on a blind date. Deborah Bialis was an aspiring lawyer, who would go on to graduate from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and become a head member of Rise – a nutrition app. Jake Anderson was a Harvard Business School graduate who previously worked for Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm.

In 2012, the couple tied the knot, only to realize they weren’t quite ready for children just yet, so they decided to freeze embryos.

She thought once she turned 35 she would have to begin deciding what steps to take regarding her fertility. Unfortunately, misinformation had Deborah and Jake facing their worst fears.

Several tests and thousands of dollars later, the couple received unsettling news. 

“The day my wife was told she was going through early menopause was a full-scale disaster,” Jake said. “Emotions ran high that day… then we realized that diagnosis was dead wrong and we may have worried for no reason.”

After the couple received the call, they decided to do a round of IVF – but the cycle didn’t produce any eggs. This is the moment they realized money is the barrier to quality care.

There is a fixed supply of doctors and a growing demand, so the prices for infertility treatments remain high.

Their next visit involved painful hormone shots yielding no viable eggs – Deborah’s doctor advised her to continue using her IUD during treatment. This cost the couple $20,000 and more emotional damage than you could imagine.

The optimistic couple soon found out that their doctor wasn’t very experienced in infertility, so they decided to try another clinic, only to be disappointed yet again.

The second clinic’s staff member misread Deborah’s chart. When Deborah got the news, she was instructed to go to the ER – she was told that her life in danger.

“Misinformation can drive a wedge between parents and emotionally [it] is pure hell,” Jake said.

Months and thousands of dollars later, the couple was left feeling frustrated.

“For us, it was a weird saga,” Deborah said. “For a while, we weren’t making many chromosomally-normal embryos. When we threw in the towel on treatment, we tried naturally with little luck and multiple miscarriages. Finally, we had an HSG at our third clinic and that may have done something because we were able to conceive naturally and deliver thereafter.”

Deborah and Jake had plenty of reasons to quit the world of infertility. The third clinic landed Deborah in the emergency room due to “medical errors.”

After their third try, the couple vowed to use their story to help others make informed decisions about their fertility.

“We originally showed up at a clinic to store embryos and soon thereafter realize we may in deeper trouble than we thought,” Jake said. “We ultimately thrashed our way through the process and spent upwards of $70,000 of our savings at three different clinics. We felt there needed to be better education and transparency in how to find a clinic and which treatments to undergo. The range of quality is astonishing. Once you’re in treatment, prepare yourself for a haul.”

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“IUI cycles [Intrauterine Insemination] work 10 percent of the time and IVF [In Vitro Fertilization] works 30 percent of the time under the best of circumstances,” he continued. “Brace yourself emotionally and financially best as you can. And if you are in a relationship, be as kind as you can to your partner and ask the same of them.”

Since then, Jake and Deborah have had two beautiful children.

FAQs on Evaluating Doctors 

FertilityIQ asks patients a variety of questions in order to find out who they are, information on their fertility history, and their experience and outcomes with doctors who have treated them. Users may skip questions they’re uncomfortable answering. Interested in participating? Here’s a quick FAQ [copied directly from the FertilityIQ site] to get you started:

What information will I be asked to provide?

We will ask you to provide truthful data on the following categories:

• Feedback on your doctor, nurse, and clinic
• Summary of your fertility treatment and protocols
• Basic medical and demographic information
• Verification that you saw the doctors you are evaluating

What does an ideal assessment look like?

What is most helpful to new patients is understanding your experience in your own voice. Details and examples are much more helpful than generalities. For example, rather than saying a doctor is “dedicated” it’s more helpful to provide an example, like “Doctor Smith was very dedicated to my care. She would personally call me whenever I had concerns, and even came in after hours to do an ultrasound when I was nervous about cramps following my positive pregnancy test.”

Who chose the questions I’ll be answering?

Our questions were developed with the help of over 50 fertility patients, clinicians from three academic medical centers, and subject matter experts such as psychologists specializing in infertility. We occasionally add or remove questions depending upon feedback from patients and emerging developments in the field. Our goals are to capture as much information as possible during your session, all the while making the process as efficient and painless as possible.

Why am I asked to provide information about my background?

We hate going online and not knowing which perspectives are relatable to us personally. We always want to know, “Is this written by somebody like me? Someone with my same preferences and lifestyle?” Or, in this case, someone with a similar fertility history. By providing some personal information, without identifying yourself by name publicly, your insight will be far more valuable to new patients.

For more information, visit FertilityIQ.com.