
Lushi, a forward-thinking fertility and wellness platform, has launched a groundbreaking service in New York City, offering in-home support from specially trained injection specialists. This is the first time such a service has been available across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, and it promises to bring much-needed comfort and expert care to women undergoing egg freezing and IVF treatments.
The new service connects patients with fertility registered nurses who provide professional, personalised care right in their homes. This innovation aims to simplify the often intimidating and stressful aspects of fertility treatment, particularly the need for injections, which many women find overwhelming.
Jessica Schaefer, Founder and CEO of Lushi, expressed her deep frustration with the existing fertility treatment system, which she believes has long failed women. “The current system is failing our women and I can’t bear it,” Schaefer said. “Hundreds of thousands of women are breaking down over this on social media, and at launch, my Instagram, LinkedIn, and inbox were flooded with traumatic stories about how scared patients were when they had to administer fertility shots themselves. Photos with bruises and syringes. We’re going to help these women have a humane and comfortable experience from their homes.”
Dr. Mana Baskovic, Lushi’s Chief Medical Officer and a robotics board-certified obstetrician and gynaecologist, is at the forefront of this initiative. Known for her expertise in handling complex infertility cases, Dr. Baskovic (affectionately called ‘Dr. B’ by her patients) has carefully selected top fertility specialists nationwide. She has also developed an intensive training programme for all of Lushi’s nurses, ensuring they are fully equipped to support patients with the highest level of care and expertise.
The service includes both in-person visits to patients’ homes and virtual consultations, offering not just medical guidance but emotional support as well. Lushi’s fertility specialists are dedicated to making each patient’s journey through egg freezing and IVF as stress-free and supportive as possible.
Dr. Baskovic highlighted the difficulties women face with the traditional fertility treatment process, particularly the need to administer multiple injections each day. “Under the old system, women had to learn how to mix anywhere from two to three fertility drugs per day and administer up to 42 shots per fertility cycle,” she explained. “We’re offering something totally different and better.”
She also expressed her frustration with the medical community’s slow response to women’s needs in this area. “It wasn’t until celebrities and younger women took to social media complaining about their traumatic experiences that anyone in the health industry cared. In fact, a majority still do not. I left the practice I was at because women have been neglected for close to 40 years now – it’s time to change the system,” Dr. Baskovic said.
For one former equity analyst at JPMorgan, the challenges of egg freezing were particularly daunting. She had to bring her mother all the way from Houston to help her with the injections. “I went to Yale, I work in biotech, but I’m not a doctor and have never administered shots. I had no clue what I was doing and there was quite literally no guidance. My mom also feared messing it up for me. It’s critical that ambitious, smart women are able to take control of their fertility options,” she said.
The male perspective on IVF is also reflected in the experience of Evan Sahr, Managing Partner at Rewired Talent. He shared his frustrations with the process. “Mixing fertility drugs and sticking them in my wife’s bum is not what I call my idea of a fun Friday night! Not to mention, the last thing I’d want to do is hurt her or our chances of having a baby. Our son Nate is the best thing that’s ever happened to us. I wish Lushi existed when we went through the process because then maybe we wouldn’t have had to do it five times; it would have saved me a lot of money, and more importantly wouldn’t have taken an emotional and physical toll on us.”
Lushi is also exploring ways to address the high cost of fertility treatments, particularly the steep prices of fertility drugs. Schaefer pointed out the stark contrast in pricing between other medications and those used in fertility treatments. “There’s no reason for Ozempic, a novel medication, to be 40 times cheaper than fertility drugs, which have been around for decades. We’re in conversations with Mark Cuban of Cost Plus Drugs to explore how we can decrease the cost and send the drugs directly to your doorstep. When I was doing egg freezing, I had to go 40 minutes uptown to a specialty pharmacy every other day. No one has time for that,” Schaefer said.
Lushi’s approach combines advanced technology, including generative AI, with a patient-first philosophy, aiming to revolutionise the fertility and wellness industry. As the platform continues to grow, Schaefer’s team is focused on making fertility care more affordable and accessible, ensuring that more women can take control of their reproductive health with less stress and more support.