CircleBumpCheckedFilledMedicalBookmarkBookmarkTickBookmarkAddCheckBoxCheckBoxFilled

Mylene Yao

Univfy Co-Founder and CEO
save article
profile picture of Cassie Kreitner
By Cassie Kreitner, Senior Editor
Updated February 26, 2017
Hero Image
Image: Courtesy of Univfy

As an ob-gyn specializing in infertility, Mylene Yao, MD, has devoted her career to helping women try to conceive. But IVF treatments can be stressful and expensive, with many women needing more than one round of treatment to have a baby. Yao wanted to help make IVF more accessible and successful for as many families as possible.

In 2005, while working at Stanford University, Yao and colleague Wing H. Wong, PhD, began developing a prediction model that uses historical data analytics from more than 150,000 IVF cycles combined with a couple’s personal information (like age, body mass index, ovarian reserve test results and semen analysis) to craft personalized fertility prognosis for patients and their doctors.

The result? Mapping a couple’s fertility odds that are 1,000 times more accurate than going off of age-based estimates alone. After a few years developing their technology, a business grant from the university gave them the push they needed to “get on the startup track,” and Univfy was founded in 2009.

The company now offers an “end-to-end” solution by giving couples a personalized probability of their chance to have a baby from IVF and how to do it quickly to lessen the financial cost. “That’s what people see as the hurdle, and we think with advanced analytics that can be overcome,” she says.

Financial solutions
“In our first phase, our test provided information about the probability of success for that patient. But through feedback from patients and doctors, we realized that to truly meet their needs, we needed to figure out how to make IVF financially feasible for patients. We started working on that concept in the beginning of 2015 and launched in January 2016. Our program allows fertility clinics to structure their pricing and offer a refund program to more than 50 percent of patients in the event that they don’t have a baby.”

Changing insurance coverage
“We need a range of solutions for how different groups or companies could help more patients get fertility treatments. They traditionally haven’t been well covered by insurance because there’s been little information for a provider to go on. But validated analytics that can predict outcomes strengthen the argument that they should be covered. We’re exploring ways our technology can be used to help companies interested in expanding fertility benefits to their employees.”

The personalization model
“Over the last few years, the idea of using data analytics to help make personalized decisions (like with online shopping) has become more widely accepted and less of a foreign concept, which has helped us a lot. If you can harness more info from a patient that has been validated to impact her probability of IVF success, why wouldn’t you do that to help give her the best information possible?”

Problem-solving for the patient
“A lot of my job involves figuring how we can make the most sense of data to solve a problem: helping more patients be able to get IVF treatment. Univfy isn’t any one thing—it’s not just a research project, it’s not just a business idea, it’s not just a website—it’s all of these things coming together to give a very practical solution both patients and doctors can use.”

save article
ADVERTISEMENT

Next on Your Reading List

Shannon Nelson and Brendan Hunt attend the 16th Annual WIF Oscar® Party Presented By Johnnie Walker, Max Mara, And Mercedes-Benz on March 10, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Ted Lasso's Brendan Hunt Expecting Baby No. 2 With Shannon Nelson
By Wyndi Kappes
dad and daughter drawing at home
How Dads Can Help Boost Their Child’s Early Educational Success
By Wyndi Kappes
harry potter star bonnie wright is pregnant with first baby
Harry Potter Star Bonnie Wright Has Welcomed Her First Child
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton on BuzzFeed's "AM To DM" on October 15, 2019 in New York City
Julie Andrews and Her Daughter Pen New Children's Book
By Wyndi Kappes
kourtney kardashian at her disney themed baby shower
The Cutest Details From Kourtney Kardashian's Disneyland Baby Shower
By Wyndi Kappes
mike the situation and wife lauren sorrentino with their babies at home
Mike 'the Situation' and His Wife Lauren Are Expecting Baby No. 3
By Wyndi Kappes
Mykayla Skinner with Silver Medal
Olympic Gymnast MyKayla Skinner Welcomes Her First Baby
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
mother putting baby into bare crib for safe sleep
New Report Reveals Nursery Items as Significant Threat to Safe Sleep
By Wyndi Kappes
US actor Josh Duhamel (L) and his wife US model Audra Mari pose during a photocall for the Golden Nymph Awards ceremony of the 62nd Monte-Carlo Television Festival in the principalty of Monaco on June 20, 2023
Josh Duhamel’s Son Axl Has Adorable Reaction to New Big Brother Role
By Wyndi Kappes
jordan and annie spieth with their son
Pro Golfer Jordan Spieth and Annie Spieth Welcome Baby No. 2
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
wrapped kraft singles american cheese recall
Why Over 83,000 Cases of Kraft Singles Have Been Recalled
By Wyndi Kappes
ms rachel stands up to body shamer
Ms. Rachel Stands Up to Body Shamers in New Video
By Wyndi Kappes
bodily pregnancy kits
Bodily Launches Pregnancy Kits Packed With Advice and Essentials
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Chanel Iman and Davon Godchaux pregnancy photoshoot
Chanel Iman and Patriots' Davon Godchaux’s Baby Girl Has Arrived
By Wyndi Kappes
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mariah Riddlesprigger welcome third baby 2023
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mariah Riddlesprigger Welcome Third Baby
By Wyndi Kappes
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky arrive for the world premiere of Marvel Studios' "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on October 26, 2022
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Share First Photo as Family of Four
By Wyndi Kappes
Khloé Kardashian, Penelope Disick, Kim Kardashian, North West and Kris Jenner attend the "RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR" at SoFi Stadium on September 04, 2023 in Inglewood, California.
These Are 2023’s Most Influential Celebrity Parents
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
happy family walking in city
These Top 15 Family-Friendly Cities Offer Amazing Outdoor Spaces
By Wyndi Kappes
chuckle and roar water bead activity kits recall 2023
Popular Water Bead Activity Kit Sold at Target Has Been Recalled
By Wyndi Kappes
elyse and jonas myers welcome their second baby
Comedian Elyse Myers and Jonas Myers Welcome Baby No. 2
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
Article removed.
Article removed.
Name added. View Your List